Dark to Light, or Light to Dark
by ZombieVampireAuthor
Summary: After that day in the Lighthouse, after THEY took Julian instead of jenny, everything should've been fine. But now the shadows are chasing her, taunting her, and slowly trying to kill her. Jenny's played with Julian now she has to play with his ancestors. Can she or her friends survive? Or will they need help? But Julian had died, right? And Jenny's love went down with him...right?
1. A New Beginning

_The icy voices had melted together, spitting like poison that was freezing over Jenny's very soul. "An eye for an eye," they were hissing. "A life for a life."_

_They were talking about Jenny for setting her grandfather free. Now they wanted her, just like back when she first saw them all those years ago. Only this time they were going to take her. The black ice was already clouding the edges of her vision, going to snatch her right from the protective circle of her friends. Of course she was frightened, but the real fear-the one that squeezed her heart until she couldn't breathe-kicked in when she was pulled forward by some unseen force, her feet sliding against the frozen cement._

_It all happened so fast that she was shocked by how abruptly it ended, the force knocking her down to her knees. The long legs covered by black jeans blocked her from the sight of them, the Ancient Shadow Men. She was surprised-she honestly shouldn't have been, but she was-to find Julian proudly blocking her._

_That was when all his Elders laughed upon him. Such a cold, bone-trembling laugh that made Jenny's arm that were her only support go weak._

"_She diminished our soul," one raspy voice said amongst the black mist. "We'll diminish yours if you take this action."_

"_Torture me for a million years or rip my name out, it doesn't matter." Julian dropped the arm that blocked Jenny and held his head high. His expression was a mix of courage, anger, and boredom-no, not boredom, Jenny realized. It was like concrete, hard, determined and serious. His voice, however, softened when he said, "You're not touching her."_

_Just like that, the black branches of ice were around his body, clamping hard until he was off his feet. At the same time, someone from behind had grabbed Jenny. They were her friends, and they were trying to drag her toward the open door that led home, but she couldn't-Julian couldn't-_

"_No!" She jerked and even elbowed someone's firm chest-probably her cousin's- until they released her. She jumped forward and in turn tugged on Julian's shoulder. "No, please! You can't!"_

_Despite her tugging, Julian didn't even budge. He looked at her and smiled. Not his usual wolf hungry smile; it was an honest smile, one that was small and almost human. "Don't worry, Jenny," he said subtly. "I promise I'll be seeing you again…."_

In the next instant, her friends had her off her feet and practically thrown through the door. Jenny remembered it well, but it was when her hands were ripped from Julian that she jolted awake from the nightmare. Dim light peered through her emerald green irises and her golden honey hair was a mess tangled across the desk. She lifted her head and realized she had fallen asleep while reading-_again_. Well, it was no surprise. She and her friends had been reading and scanning the spell books of her deceased grandfather since it happened.

_Finally_ deceased grandfather, she pointed out to herself. He had been trapped in a torturous game in the Shadow World for at least ten years before Jenny set him free. And it was because of that Julian was-

Jenny shook it off. It was too fresh to think about, but it wasn't _fair_.

"_Life's not fair," _Julian's voice lingered in the back of her mind.

She knew that. She knew that _well_, so how come she couldn't understand why the Elder Shadow Men were chasing her down?

Her frozen bedroom? Nightmares of the frozen claws dragging her by the throat until someone had to wake her up and remind her how to breathe? How everything she touched suddenly turned to ice, or every plant or animal she touched was suddenly missing or dropped dead? Or the fact that she heard them whispering to her, telling them they were coming because Julian's soul wasn't enough. Now they were coming for hers. Apparently she needn't be in their world for them to kill her. They were slowly doing that from the inside out in this world.

But it didn't make sense, they all eventually realized. If they took Julian's soul, killed him like they said, then they legally, by the laws of their nature, couldn't touch her in her world. Julian had to be alive, had to be somewhere but not there for them to be able to chase her. And if they could reach her here, then that meant Julian had to be near enough to connect with her.

But only Jenny had discovered this. The others were researching on the Elders, trying to find something her grandfather had written on exactly _how_ he trapped them or simply how to get rid of them. The thought occurred to Jenny in the beginning and it seemed like the only efficient solution she could think of. What better way to stop a bunch of old Shadow Men than with their predecessor?

It was crazy, of course. Jenny wasn't even sure if they could find him, but if they could-she would be just as unhappy as they were to meet him. After a month since it all ended, would it really be worth it?

Jenny held this in her head as well as her breath as she trudged up the stairs back to the living room. Dee was the first she saw, stretching her long dark legs as graceful and powerful as a panther. Zach was flicking a ripped card repetitively between his long fingers as he read through the tattered journal; his grey eyes wide and tired like some kind of alien. Summer was asleep curled up on the couch, her glossy blonde hair spread out like a doll's. Beside her was Tom, sitting up to keep himself awake and rubbing his eyes as he skimmed the pages hurriedly. Michael was sitting in the arm chair, being more distracted by Audrey who sat on the coffee table as she rubbed lotion on her legs, rather than focusing on the papers in his hands.

Most of them looked up when she entered the room and to catch the rest of the attention, she dropped the heavy leather book on the table behind Audrey. "Folklore," Jenny said a little tensely. "With souls-That's right, right Audrey?"

"Well, what about souls?" she asked, uncrossing her legs nicely, but not completely turning toward her.

"If souls are used as payments, if they are given and taken, and one was to be punished-"

"It could be destroyed or manipulated." Audrey explained, slowly settling into her own words as she went along. "It was cruel actually. If they didn't kill the demon or human or whatever, they would kind of put strings on and dance them around like a puppet. Make them murder their families or torture themselves without being able to stop-"

"What about placement? Like did they keep them in a jar or something?"

Audrey laughed. "Oh, _mon ami_. No. They were thrown in their worst confinement or more likely the place between dimensions, where down was up and up was left, and there wasn't any ground or anything. They'd be put in Limbo."

Limbo. Jesus, why didn't Jenny think of that earlier?

Immediately she flipped through the pages of the book she had thrown. "That… That actually might work."

Suspiciously, Tom leaned a little toward her. "Why is Limbo so important, Jenny?"

"Hey," Zach said so casually soft that Jenny almost mistook it for the wind coming through the broken window across the room. "Your grandfather actually wrote about that. Very detailed. Almost if he had been…there….himself…"

Jenny desperately found her cousin's eyes and took the books from him not for the information. Zach's fear was himself, mentally. That dark place, with the endless floor/ceiling and the hunter after them, it probably felt like Limbo to him.

But she didn't get a chance to comfort him. Tom stood up and said, "What might work, Jenny? What are you thinking?"

Facing Tom, the idea made her seem even more insane. Hey, with ancient dead ice men coming after you, it was probably a little hard to contain your sanity. _I think we should get Julian_. It was that easy to say, but the words were caught in her throat when she opened her mouth. Instead of her plan, all that came out was, "I-I think… Julian's alive."

There was an uneasy stir amongst them, but Jenny pushed it away as she brushed her bangs back. "It's not legal," she started slowly. "If they took his soul, if they killed him, then they wouldn't be able to touch me. Like with my grandfather and me. Julian has to be alive."

Summer slowly sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes like a little girl, but her pupils small with the reality of their conversation. Zach had dropped the card, and Dee was standing close to Jenny, ready to shake her back to her common sense if she had to.

"But wait," Michael said quickly. "They aren't _exactly_ touching you. I mean, the whispers and everything is scary, yeah, but they haven't harmed you yet. Don't you think if they wanted you dead, they would've killed you the minute they were able to?"

"But they're _Shadow Men_. They like to play games-"

"Exactly," Dee said firmly. "They didn't kill your grandfather when he took your place. They…had him for years and couldn't touch you."

"But Julian's one of them. What if it doesn't count-like what if it's not enough and they can still get me-"

Tom cut off the conversation before it could seem reasonable and stood up. "Jenny, he's dead. We watched them drag him away-"

"But they wanted _me_. They took my grandfather last time because he was human, too. I don't think Julian's soul compares equally. Even if they did kill him-" Something dry snagged Jenny's throat and she coughed on the rest of her sentence.

"Why does it matter anyway?" Audrey asked. "Whether or not he's alive, they're still chasing you."

"I know, but…" Jenny bit her lip and looked away. How could she explain that they needed Julian without it giving off the wrong impression. "If he's alive. If they didn't kill him, but took his soul as-as punishment, then they would throw him into Limbo. Right, Audrey? Killing him would be too easy."

To that, Audrey didn't answer. However, Zach added, "It would make sense. The Shadow Men are supposed to be the cruelest things in the nine dimensions, so endless torture would be a lot more fun than just killing him off."

"He could be in the Shadow World, though," Dee said. "They could just torture him there so they can watch."

"No, he'd have his powers there. They wouldn't trap him in his world-"

"**Why** are we even discussing this?" Everyone looked to Tom, who stood with his fists at his side, slightly turned away and gazing at them all as if he was the only sane one left in the room. "Julian's not important. Jenny is. You're the one being attacked. We're trying to save _you_."

The way he snapped it so fiercely made a ball of defense grow in Jenny's chest. "Maybe he can help us."

Now Jenny looked like the only _insane _person in the room.

"H-He went through all of this to get to me a-and he can do, like, anything." She tried to explain. "If he actually loves me, then he would help-"

"How?" Tom said, surprisingly loud. "How would he be able to do that? Even if he is alive and even if he is in the Shadow World or Limbo, how is he supposed to help us? He would be stuck under their control either way. He'd be stuck just like us. We wouldn't be able to get to him, and he can't get to us-"

"We don't know that-"

"It doesn't matter!" He interrupted. "He shouldn't even be an option!"

Jenny felt too many emotions mixing together inside her. "And what exactly are my options?"

The tension practically suffocated everyone in the silence.

Jenny covered her face in one second, then was rushing off in the next. "Forget it," she said. "We'll just sit here until we find some more illegible notes on useless shit, so whatever. I'll just.. Get eaten by ice for all that matters."

"Wait, Jenny-"

She didn't know who said it, but she shrugged off the hand that reached for her. She was shaking-no, shivering. She was suddenly so cold that she couldn't stand it. Her face was burning with embarrassment or shame, and her core was shaking. They understood that she was scared, but now they all misunderstood her because of Tom. What the hell was he thinking? What was _she_ thinking? Going after the demon that had trapped her and her friends in another world, "killed" Summer, and threw them into game after game because he loved her.

But he hadn't killed Summer. He never played unfairly. He never actually acted cruelly as his Elders did. And he really did love her…

She thought she heard something, but her mind was spinning too fast to comprehend. She was walking back toward the basement when time seemed to slow down. The cold she was feeling was now a bitter pain not just in her chest but all through her-_around her_. It was in the air, prickling her skin and condensing her breath in the air. She finally heard Zach shouting something behind her, but all she saw when she looked up was the door to the basement slamming shut. The ice quickly froze over it, blurring the door in solid cruelty, and kept coming.

Tom's hand were on her, yanking her back, but his shout was drowned out by the sudden wind. Jenny felt it swirl around her like ice shards, tearing at her skin, blinding and crippling her. The warmth of Tom's hands faded as well as the sight of everyone else. All she saw was white-snow and ice flying around her, tossing her hair, burning her eyes, freezing her clothes. Her pants were now so crisp with ice that she hardly stumbled.

At first, she was trying to get her balance and see, but then she heard it. It was soft and mixed in with the hissing of the wind, but it gradually picked up. When it became audible, Jenny could no longer breathe.

_Laughing_. She could hear the disoriented voices of the Ancient Shadow Men laughing at her from somewhere very far off. As the ice scratched her cheek open and she winced, they laughed louder, echoing all around her until it was all she could hear.

She could feel her grandfather's living room tearing away from her, and all she could do was scream. It was all she heard, her own pain mixing with their laughter-

Until she heard Michael's voice behind it all.

He was shouting one word. Something short, but too drowned out for Jenny to clarify. Then she saw a spark of orange in the corner of her eye and it hit her.

Kenaz. The Rune of Fire.

As fast as Jenny could do with her numbing fingers, she traced the shape in the air, like a sideways vase, and spoke it aloud. She had to scream it to simply hear herself say it. She saw the spark of orange light up from somewhere outside the ice tornado, but it was swallowed up within seconds, gone without a trace.

Still, she continued to scream and wave her finger around until it no longer worked. Then she was screaming every Rune she could think of. Although, the one for ice really didn't help. The wind only got stronger, the laughter faded, and suddenly the ice was crawling up her feet. She screamed again and watched her finger trace another rune.

Before she could figure it out, the world dropped away from her. She had the sensation of being picked up, then gravity slapped her down and she was falling.

When Jenny opened her eyes, she saw nothing but black. The ice was gone. There was no more wind or screams. She was just there. She tried to figure out where she was, but when she looked around there…. were no walls. No floors, no ceiling. Just black. Black everywhere. She couldn't even tell if she was lying down or standing up. There was no feeling to the place around her. It was like floating in space with her weight completely accounted for. No up. No down. Just space and shadows.

Jenny assumed she was standing when she turned her head since her hair was still down her back and not hanging above her head. She slowly touched her cheek where the blood was dried-or frozen, who knew? But what was more frightening than that thought was the silence. Absolutely nothing. Jenny was afraid to breathe too loudly in fear of something jumping out at her. There was nothing around her.

Or on the contrary, everything. Everything she couldn't see. Like the shadow men, or their claws, or all the torturous things they could do to her-

Jenny covered her face and slowly rubbed her eyes. Nothing changed. She opened her mouth to speak, but was too afraid to. She didn't want to call to her death. Instead, she stuck a hand out awkwardly. Nothing. Next her foot. When she planted it "down" there was still nothing. Hesitating, she moved forward. She could walk, but there was no ground. God, it was like Zach's nightmare. Nothing but blackness and those lights-

Lights.

Like fire.

Quickly Jenny sketched the rune, but nothing appeared. Right. She only made fire back in her living room because there was something nearby to catch on fire. Here, there was nothing. Nothing but her.

Fear quickly swallowed up her heart and the next thing she knew, she was running. For all she knew, she could've been in place, frantically sprinting until she could no longer breathe. Was she even breathing? Was there any air here? Did anyone hear her when she screamed?

After a while, Jenny hit her knees and tried to calm down. She was hyperventilating and panicking. If she stayed calm, she'd be able to figure it out. She couldn't freak out. That's what they'd want. For her to go insane in this empty space. But there was _nothing_. No space, no sound, no people-

Slowly she thought of Tom and closed her eyes, only bringing forth more darkness. God, how many shadows could she possibly be surrounded by? They were all around her, inside her-she shivered at the thought and hugged herself. In her head, she clung to the picture of Tom, and Dee, and Summer, and Zach-As long as she saw them she'd be all right. She'd be able to stay sane.

Julian had taught her that. Sometimes picturing something could be as real as reality itself. Like when she saw the door from Disneyland in the paper house, or the Aliens from Dee's nightmare that cut open her leg. Not everything was what it seemed. Like this space. It wasn't going to drive her crazy.

As long as she found someone.

Or at least pretended to.

With a deep breath, she mumbled, "Thanks, Julian," just to hear herself speak and know she wasn't insane yet.

She lifted her head then, determined to get up and find a way out, when she spotted a light ahead of her. There was no sense of distance. She could just see it. Like a star in a night sky, seeing it, but entirely unable to sense how close or far away it seemed. It wasn't until she got up and walked toward it that it seemed to grow.

The rays spread quickly and seemed to bounce off an imaginary floor. It made Jenny feel like she was floating in a sea of black with a tiny invisible island a little far off. She could see the floor, or imagined it, really, before the light took over everything.

Then she saw-

Herself?

She could see her honey colored hair, curled and flowing down her back, wearing the short golden dress she had worn to prom. The last prom, the one she went without Tom because they were fighting. The same prom where she saw-

"Julian," she heard herself say when she saw the manly hand upon her mirror's back.

The copy of herself turned and he was there, dancing with her. He was holding one of "her" hands and leading "her" through a very slow, very close dance. He was wearing what he did when she last saw him, a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black pants. Seeing him was like turning onto an oncoming wave, the freezing water whipping her in the face and dragging her under until she couldn't breathe. His white hair looked dull from the distance-if there was any.

Julian was gazing into "Jenny's" eyes, not looking anywhere else as they moved perfectly in sync. And the look on his face-Jenny stumbled away a little from it. He looked so trance, so mesmerized and so happy. Far more intense than Tom's gaze when he used to hold her during a date. Even when he watched her laugh, or kissed her, his face never looked like that. Never so deep, never so… lovingly.

Just when time seemed to appear, it faded when "Jenny" suddenly ripped away. Before Julian could react to her mirror image jumping away, "she" slapped him, then disappeared. It all happened so fast that Jenny couldn't understand. Julian stood there shocked, holding his cheek although there stood no sign of an injury. As if "she" had never touched him. The shine that had been in his expression now shattered and he looked so lost that Jenny had her lips parted, ready to call for him-

Suddenly she was screaming. Not her, but another mirror image of her. Jenny almost didn't recognize it until after she jumped and whirled around. There was a wild fire behind her-beside her, she couldn't tell. But she could see the familiar shadow inside the flames, the familiar jean skirt from Tom's birthday party and green eyes begging for help as they were burned alive.

Her second mirror self was screaming in terrible pain, shouting as the flames engulfed her so fast that Jenny had to grab herself to convince herself that it wasn't her. That she wasn't being burned alive. She knew it wasn't real, but Julian didn't.

"No!" He went sprinting over there so fast, Jenny blinked and he was gone. He jumped for the flames before the blackness swallowed up the hallucination back into the nothingness that it was. Jenny watched in horror as Julian dropped to his knees and punched the air. He screamed something, cursing at no one, then dropped his head into his lap.

The fear was back again. Pure and straight and horrible, like watching yourself die-or watching the one you love die and thinking it was real.

Without thinking, Jenny made herself move. She walked, then ran toward Julian and prayed that he wouldn't disappear when she approached him.

He didn't.

He stayed knelt down at her feet, body trembling and fist trying to grind itself into the ground that didn't exist. Jenny was afraid to kneel down-afraid she'd fall and never stop- nevertheless speak aloud.

"Julian," she said and realized her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat and spoke again. "Julian, look at me-"

"Go away!" He snapped so loud that Jenny flinched. His voice carried in such a way, almost like an echo, but not quite. "You're not real…" he mumbled afterwards.

Jenny knelt down after that. "Yes, I am. Julian, look at me. I-I didn't burn. I'm right here-"

"No, you're not!" He suddenly shouted. Jenny still couldn't see his face, so she grabbed him. He threw her off so fast that she gasped aloud. When he looked at her, strands of white covered such mesmerizing blue pools so much so that it…hurt. It physically hurt to see him glaring, but seeing so much pain behind them. The bags under his eyes were deep and red, as if he had been crying.

But Julian didn't cry.

That just wasn't Julian.

Shadow men didn't cry or feel sorry for themselves or others. They were cold and cruel.

They didn't show human emotions either, like the fear that Jenny saw in his face now.

"Y-You say that you are. You appear right here, then you-"

He cut himself off and looked away, covering his eyes with one hand and cursing again under his breath.

Jenny didn't know what to do. Was she hallucinating? Or was Julian really here?

Suddenly, it seemed to click together. The nothing. The hallucinations. The blackness. Limbo. They were in Limbo. God, that thought almost made Jenny cry. Did the shadow men have her soul? Was she being tortured now by seeing Julian so terrified and shaken like this?

"You're not real…" Julian mumbled again.

Jenny grabbed him again, harder this time and shook him. He didn't hit her this time. "I'm here, Julian. Look at me. I'm real, and so are you." He gently shook his head and seemed to go limp, as if giving up on it all. "I am! You danced with me on the balcony at my school prom, not here-"

"I was just there. But you disappeared-"

"No, Julian. We're in Limbo. This isn't real. We need to get out of here."

"Not real…"

"Julian, God damn it!" She shook him again, but he refused to react to it. "You kidnapped me and my friends and confessed your love to me and forced us to play your stupid games-"

"Of course," he said with a short laugh. "Of course you'd say that. You know everything I do. You're not _real_!" His voice rose, as if to convince himself all over again.

"You tricked me into kissing you by disguising yourself as my cousin-"

"And you disappeared after that, too."

Jenny hesitated before a thought reached her. "But you couldn't touch me, right? When you tried to grab me, I disappeared. Look," she grabbed him again, shaking his shoulder once more. "I'm touching you, Julian. I'm real. Come on, Julian, look at me!"

But the prince of shadows just shook his head. "You risked your life for me! In the Shadow Lighthouse, y-you went up to those Shadow Men and they took you instead of me, and now your Elders are chasing me-"

He shook his head, mumbling, "Not real, not real…"

Jenny got so fed up and terrified and confused that she did something she knew she'd have to be insane to do. She grabbed him by the face and kissed him.

Shock rocked him, but for a moment he just sat there. Jenny didn't let go until he felt her, until he recognized her warmth and felt her breathing and _knew_ in his heart that she was real. She had to kiss his still lips three slow times to get him to come to.

His hands snapped upon her in a flash, as if grabbing her meant life or death, and for the first time his grip actually pinched her skin. His hand barely landed on her neck, grazing her skin, then caressing it tightly until his thumb passed over her pulse. Then it moved into her hair and he kissed her back. Lightening flashed under Jenny's eyelids and the emptiness around them began to spin. Such gentleness mixed with wild passion that frightened and excited Jenny far more than she could take at the moment.

But she couldn't pull away. Julian had that hold on her again without meaning to. He was kissing her faster, sending sparks through her veins, making her shudder and cling to him tighter in fear of falling into the blackness without even seeing it.

Somehow, it ended. She didn't know if he pulled away or if she did, but the thread holding them together snapped and they were looking at each other. Julian's sapphire eyes were darker than normal with confusion while his breath was ragged with exhilaration. He was searching her, trying to figure things out as his hands continuously ran over her.

"Jenny?" He was saying as he looked her from head to toe and touched her all over, running down her bare arms, through her hair, across the cut on her cheek. "_Jenny?_"

"Y-You named yourself after-after the nine worlds, you _jerk_," she stuttered nervously. "Y-You gave your life for me, then expected me to be all right and now they're chasing me and you're here-You're alive-"

In the next instant, he was clinging to her, arms wrapped so tight around her waist that she almost couldn't breathe. He was practically laughing, but didn't have the breath for it. All he did was repetitively call her name over and over as if that was the only thing keeping her from disappearing again.

In fact he was whispering to her, "Don't disappear." He was almost begging. "Don't fade away again. Stay here."

"Okay," she whispered back. "Okay, I won't…" He relaxed a little, but his grip never faded. So she added, "But I'm not staying here forever. I won't let you trick me into your plan again."

He laughed then, nuzzling himself deeper into the crook of her neck and taking in her scent to reassure himself. "You are real," he said after that.

"Yes, but really Julian, look at me."

He still refused to release her, but he did lift his head.

Jenny could've gasped again. Since he was holding her so close, when he met her eyes, their lips were practically touching. She had no way to stop him when he kissed her.

He kissed her gently this time, letting the touch of his lips linger on hers like the bat of a butterfly's wing. She was lost again, floating around Limbo with him, basking in his warmth and the electricity of the kisses until she could feel her arms again and pushed him away.

Still, he was laughing. He kept running his fingers through her bangs and looking her over. "You really are here. You're not fading. I can feel you. And you act just the same. Ha-ha."

Jenny felt her core trembling-with fear or excitement, she couldn't tell, but she made sure there was enough space between them when she met his eyes again. Still, it was hard to talk calmly to those gleaming eyes of a passionate, venomous snake.

"I don't know what happened, but I think we're in Limbo," she began. "After you gave yourself to your Ancestors, my friends dragged me back home and then e-everything got weird. Things started freezing and I could see them everywhere. Th-The… other shadow men. The older ones. They started chasing me or trying to kill me-I-I don't know, but I was in my grandfather's living room with everyone when there was ice and they were laughing-"

The more she spoke, the deeper reality seemed to sink into Julian. He grabbed her shoulders, but she kept talking. "I tried the-that… um, the rune for fire, but it didn't work. Then I did Uruz, and then I fell. I woke up here and saw you, and I-I don't know what happened."

"You performed Uruz?" He asked quickly. "And it worked?"

"I-I don't know. They were trying to grab me when I said it. But I didn't do the blood or the carving. I don't think it worked-"

"No, no, it did."

"What?"

"They were trying to drag you into the Shadow World, if anything. They were pulling on your soul when you used Uruz. You used their own magic against them. Since you were between the worlds already, you must've fell right between them. You fell into Limbo, with me. It makes sense."

"But how can that happen?" Jenny asked as Julian stood up. He still held her arm, helping her stand as he looked around him.

"A rift," he mumbled. He was looking away from Jenny as he spoke and his voice was hushed, as if he was more talking to himself than her. His eyes looked concentrated on something else that rested in the darkness-something Jenny couldn't see. "You caused a rift in the dimensions. Under the bridge. We're stuck under the bridge. The rift's open, active. We just have to get to it."

When he met her eyes, somehow Jenny understood. "So we can get back home?"

Julian smiled and Jenny shuddered. That wolf-hungry smile had returned. Jenny had forgotten what it looked like and now that he held it so easily while hovering in emptiness with his ability to do anything to her was frightening.

But Jenny felt herself tightening up anxiously.

"If we can find it in time."

Jenny gasped again when the space shifted quickly around her and she was staring into the blackness. She forgot how Julian could just disappear like that and having it happen now made it seemed like it was all an illusion. Yet, Julian's hands clamped down on her biceps from behind, squeezing her hard enough to hurt. She winced and then found his lips in her ear.

"Close your eyes," he said so seductively slow that Jenny wouldn't dare turn to look at him. Her breath was trembling and she couldn't tell if she was afraid or excited, but her eyes fell closed. His hands slowly moved up her arms, centimeter by centimeter, as he hissed, "Picture it. The bridge. The power that brought you here. The ice. The shadows that threatened to take your life away."

His grip suddenly clamped around her chest, pulling her back against him until she could feel every curve of his body, every breath he took to the point where she was breathing with him. And the shock ricocheted through her so quickly that she didn't know what to do. He was always threatening before, but never like this. Never this slow-Never this tempting.

"Picture it clearly, Jenny." He switched ears and let one of his hands snake up her neck. "How you cut open your finger and traveled into _my_ world to come after _me_. The rune that brought you there. That brought you here." Only his fingertips touched her skin now, and they grazed her neck so softly that goose bumps washed down her chest. He moved so slowly, spoke so demanding, but hot in her ear that the lightest pressure he gave to her chin made her willingly tilt her head back.

It was too…exalting. Her skin was tingling. Her heart was racing. She was too afraid to turn around, but too excited to move away from him. Tom never made her feel this way-

The thought of Tom made her feel guilty. Ashamed because she was giving in to the touch. She could move away, but her feet were frozen in place, as if the ice from earlier was still there. She had that bolt of electricity running through her, the one that Julian always brought upon her, but it was different this time. He could force her in place, could make her say it-make her do _anything_, but instead he was pushing her to it. Like when he tried to pull her into the hole in the second game, the one that had captured all her friends and was now going to drag her into his world, with him, forever.

Jenny could feel it, teetering on the edge, about to fall, about to stay locked in place, there in his grip. Jenny knew she should jump away. Like before, he was taking control of her. He never had this strong of a hold on her and nothing good was going to come from it. But he never made her feel this excited, this _tempted_.

"Say it," he said, a little louder in her. "Say it, Jenny. And I'll take you _home_."

Oh God, she thought weakly.

Home to Julian could mean anything. The Shadow World, the dead amusement park, deeper into Limbo, her grandfather's closet-he could trap her anywhere. Now that he had her to himself, what guaranteed that she was actually going _home_ and not into another one of traps.

Trust, Jenny told herself weakly. He had always played fairly before. Maybe, this time… She just had to trust his word.

He gave her body a tug, pulling her against him tighter, a surprising jolt that rocked her core so hard that she lost her breath. She knew he was looking at her, but she couldn't open her eyes. All she saw was the darkness-and the bridge that it held. The bridge that crossed between Earth and the Shadow World-the one that she and her friends had to cross to rescue the others.

Who was it again? God, her mind was so hazy she couldn't even think properly.

With her skin throbbing where Julian held her, she took in the shortest breath and mumbled, "Uruz…."

Power flashed and Jenny jumped.

There was the sensation of falling and Jenny knew it was real because she felt her hair come up and hit her in the face. She clung to Julian's arm as her weight fell, stomach dropping sickly, and gravity coming back into effect. Before she could scream, Julian forced her head to the side and kissed her hard. Tight enough to hurt her lips and deep enough to choke down her fear.

Their bodies titled as they fell, then Julian was gone.

The wind came back and flashes of white started to pierce the blackness. Voices, shouts, spells, wind, it all rushed in her ears while images of ice, the shadow men, her friends, and the bridge flashed before her eyes. Blackness tore at the edge of her vision, trying to drag her under the line of unconsciousness, but she knew she couldn't pass out.

She could see a black hand, a deformed one with claws reaching for her before there was another flash of power. The wind roared with the echo of Julian shouted something. Ice whipped her hair in her face, then she saw a bright yellow light appearing in a large rectangle. It was blinding and hovering right above her. She was still falling, but it was more like she was stuck in place. Trying to fall, something dragging her down and dragging her down **hard**, but something else was keeping her in place. The light seemed to pull her upward while the ice and shadows were trying to drag her down.

There was nothing but the cold of the ice nipping at her and the wind swirling so strongly around her that the door of light started to draw away. Until a shadow emerged from it. Without thinking, jenny reached for it, but it was just passed her fingertips. The wind seemed to smack her hand away, and the shout echoed toward her.

"Jenny!"

Tom, she thought and reached up again. The hand came into view. The light dimmed, and she could see Tom reaching through the doorway of light. He had industrial rope tied around his waist and his legs weren't visible. He was kneeling down into the darkness, trying to grab her. In one last attempt, jenny jumped up with everything she had. Tom snatched her wrist and yanked her up by her forearm.

The tightness of the ice zapped past her, the light blinded her, the wind struck her deaf, and reality threatened to make her pass out.

Then, everything was very faint.

The floating sensation was gone. The screaming ended. The cold was gone and weight of Limbo vanished. Instead, there was a new familiar weight, one that pressed down on Jenny's chest so hard it made it difficult to breathe. Yet, best of all, Jenny could feel the floor under her.

She forced her eyes open and sucked in the deepest breath of air she ever had in her life. She immediately coughed, trying to relearn how to breathe, before she was suddenly being hugged. For a moment, she thought she was back in Limbo with Julian. Yet, over the man's shoulder she saw Dee and Zach standing against her grandfather's closet door, also trying to breathe right. Audrey was squealing something and diving on her in a hug as well. Tom was squeezing the life out of her, squeezing her so tight that she couldn't even finish sitting up. Audrey was trying to suffocate her, too, and Jenny was still coughing.

Finally she got them off her, and everyone was talking at once. How the shadow men came and the ice swallowed her up, then she was gone and they were so scared. Then they heard someone talking, telling them to go to the basement and when they did, the door was glowing and they heard her screaming and had to grab her.

But in the midst of it all, their voices died one by one. Michael was the first to see it, standing off to the side, still holding the rope they held onto Tom with, but looking behind Jenny. "Guys…." he said.

Slowly, he got their attention and all eyes moved off Jenny and to the corner of the room behind her. Jenny saw all their distracted and shocked gazes before it hit her. A bolt of anxiety and pure fear went through her, like you're the first person to die in the horror movie and you know it because you feel the murder weapon coming for you, but it's already too late.

Jenny whirled around and had to blink ten times before she told herself she wasn't dreaming.

Standing in the corner of her grandfather's basement, leaning against his dusty desk was the prince of Shadows himself.

He smiled at all the attention. He pointed the pencil that he had been playing with at them all and said, "Oh, please, continue. Don't mind me."

Instantly, Tom forced Jenny to her feet and shoved her behind him. "How the _hell_-"

"Who do you think it was telling you where to go to grab Jenny?" Julian tilted his head a little, looking more and more like a wild wolf with the way his eyes gleamed at them. "Hm?"

Jenny stared at Julian, but she could still see her friends gathering at her sides. "Thanks," she heard Dee say with attitude somewhere to her left. "Now you can leave."

Julian's face changed to confusion, but with tease. He made a face of "Oh," as he gracefully put the pencil back and stood up straight. "You see, that's not gonna happen."

"You're not taking her," Tom snapped quickly.

All Julian had to do was glance at him and the force knocked Tom completely across the room. He collapsed against the stairs and Dee pounced. She grabbed the heaviest statue she could find on the bookcases of foreign magical charms and swung it at him. Julian easily rotated his arm over the swing, snatching her by the wrist and flipping her in the other corner of the room.

"Please," he said to her friends as he walked closer to Jenny. "Haven't you learned?"

"_Julian_," Jenny said flatly. It held no jokes, no orders. Julian stopped right before her, examining the determined look in her eyes, then smiled and took a step back.

It wasn't said aloud, but somehow it was clear. The still tension in the air, the one that the Julian's Ancestors had left when they were last there, had caused them all to see it. Although Julian was smirking, and her friends were willing to fight again, Jenny was stuck in the middle with a new problem. They weren't being forced into a trick by Julian, but a deadly trap by his ancestors. Whether they liked it or not, they had to face it.

She had to take two deep breaths before she spoke again. "This isn't a game this time."

"But…" Micheal asked. "What happened? You…. Disappeared for a whole day, then you come back-with _him_."

"Doesn't matter!" Tom said as he stood back up, rubbing his back painfully. "I say we lock him in the damn closet again."

Happily, Dee punched her hand. "I'm down."

Surprisingly, Jenny jumped between. She put her back to Julian, which was probably a horrible idea after she thought on it, but it was the only way she could speak calmly without feeling so anxious because of those deep, elemental eyes.

"Enough," she tried to say clearly. "No one's getting locked up. No one's getting taken away. No more fighting."

"Jenny," Zach said distantly. "You're… not seriously protecting him… are you?"

Jenny did her best to keep calm. "No-I mean," she had to face everyone then, including Julian, and said shakily, "He saved me. S-Somehow I fell into Limbo and he was there, so-"

"Wrong."

Jenny whipped around. Shock hit her only for a moment when she saw it was Julian who spoke. He met her eyes directly, white hair glimmering seriously. "I had no powers there. It was you who activated the rune, Jenny. When you brought us to the rift, my Ancestors were there, of course. I blocked them long enough for the power to take effect."

"But that doesn't explain why _you're_ still here," Audrey said.

Jenny didn't understand either until she thought back to the blackness. Right as she said it, right as she fell-

The kiss, of course.

Julian only smirked, then his gaze flickered over to Tom. "Doesn't matter," he mocked to which Tom glared furiously.

It sounded entirely foreign coming from the boy that always spoke so elegantly. It unnerved Jenny so much that she had to physically shake it off. That was when Audrey stepped forward.

"It doesn't add up, though. The Shadow Men took _your_ soul as payment for Jenny. If that's true, you should be dead or-or under their hold-"

"We created the runes," Julian interrupted. "We play unfairly. Normally, those powers break the rules."

"But not _laws_," Jenny countered as she looked at him.

For a minute, Julian just smiled. "In simplest terms, Jenny saved me."

Jenny felt her core shudder and her friends' gazes all fell on her. She had to look away from Julian, but she couldn't look at her friends either. "Fine," she said to herself, unsure of exactly what she was saying. She didn't know where the words came from, but she was speaking them before she couldn't even understood them. "Since _I _saved you, tell me this. How are you're Ancestors able to reach me? I thought they were restricted to their own world."

"They took my soul as payment," Julian said smoothly, quickly-without missing a beat. "As a fellow Shadow Man, it only would've been effected if they killed me. Basically, they found it more entertaining to toy with both of us."

Jenny took that in, just the way she had before when she figured it out herself. "So by bringing you here-"

"You completely revoked the deal."

Micheal stepped forward. "So now they can just grab her… at any time?"

Julian's gaze never left Jenny, and he saw the shiver of fear run through her mind. When she couldn't shake his gaze, he saw right through her. "Sort of."

"What does that mean?" Dee questioned.

Julian glanced at her, smirking so vilely that Jenny was ready to step between them again. "Telling a Shadow Man's tricks takes away all the fun."

"Julian-" Jenny had started.

"It's all about tricks." Julian said, his voice suddenly very flat and irritated. "Don't fall into one, and they can't grab you."

"So she's just supposed to avoid them for the rest of her life?" Tom snapped. "No way."

"Not with my help, she won't." Julian responded thickly. Then he looked back to Jenny with a thin smile. "But you'll have to ask _nicely_."

"She saved you, you pig," Audrey snapped.

"And you expect me to help you fools out of the evilness of my heart?" he snapped, not anywhere near Jenny, but to all her friends standing behind her.

That's when Jenny heard it. "Please." It was Summer who was begging, in the smallest voice she had. "Please, help Jenny. Didn't you say you loved her?"

At that, the silence had returned. Jenny couldn't look at Julian. If she did, there was no telling what would happen. Looking at the ground, she asked him, "Is there _any_ way to stop them… for us **fools**?"

She knew in the pause of his response that he was looking her over, but still she couldn't lift her gaze. "Yes," he answered blankly.

Jenny looked up then, seeing the subtle look in his eyes, but not in his smile. "And you will help us?"

"Help _you_," he clarified.

There was a commotion behind her, and Tom was barging forward, cursing and lifting his fist, but Jenny quickly grabbed him. Right as she got him back, her mind lost track of the Earth, she got light headed, and her feet stumbled. She would've fallen if Tom hadn't have caught her. The room was still spinning when he stood her up straight.

"I-I'm fine," she said shakily. "We'll figure more out tomorrow." She looked back to Julian, who remained unmoved in the back of the room. "Julian, can you leave this room? Honestly."

Julian's eyes never left hers, but his eyelashes dropped as something crossed his mind. "Yes."

Immediately she pictured the X in her mind, the rune that would keep him locked in here, and she knew her friends, especially Tom, were thinking it, too. Yet, she had done it to him once already. Even after, he had given his life to her, to suffer for an eternity so she could live on.

She couldn't do it to him again.

"Then swear." She said boldly. She pulled out of Tom's grip and forced her weak knees to stay up as she approached the Shadow Man. "Swear on the runes of the Shadow World that you will stay in this room. You won't play any games on me or my friends, anyone involved in this 'trick'. Swear you won't leave this room unless it is to deal with your Ancestors."

Jenny stuck out her hand to him.

And at first Julian just smirked in the slightest bit. He said something with eyes, something Jenny knew but couldn't figure out at the moment. Then he grabbed her hand, leaned down, and kissed it. And in that moment, Jenny saw something flash before her eyes. It was just for a second, but she could see herself in this same position, with Julian kissing the back of her fingers like this like a King would to his Queen. It was such a powerful, graceful flash, but Jenny shoved it far down deep into her core as soon as it faded away.

"Into another game, then." His voice was elemental, just like it was the first day she had met him.

He released her and Jenny turned away, not looking back. She made sure her friends followed her and they all surprisingly made it back upstairs without the door shutting or trapping them inside. Of course, there was instant denial when the door closed behind them, Tom arguing that they should rune the door, Dee saying they should send him back, and Summer saying they should leave him alone.

But Jenny ended it all with, "Enough. It's settled. He's helping us, and that's final."

"Will you listen to yourself-" Tom had started.

"This is my life we're fighting for." Jenny snapped. "I'd rather get tricked than killed…." She gave her friends a firm look and finished with, "He won't trick us, so no one tricks him." And with that, she turned and left for bed.


	2. Stuck in the Middle

Jenny woke up to a cold chill creeping down her spine. It must've been the fear of the shadows that had jolted her awake, or maybe it was the anxiety she felt as she was being pulled out of it in such a rush-Julian touching her, whispering in her ear, kissing her-

Jenny sat up and shook it off. She found Summer asleep next to her and Dee at the end of the bed on a spare mattress. That's right, she remembered. They were in the guest bedroom. They had agreed to use the Buddy System in case anything like before happened again. She glanced to the clock and was surprised she was so awake at three in the morning, considering she had been sucked into Limbo and back out and made a deal with a Shadow Man she shouldn't trust all in just a few hours ago-

-or was it yesterday? God, time really had escaped her.

Silently, Jenny climbed out of bed. She was too anxious to sleep. Her head was still spinning and she was constantly shivering-from the cold or excitement, she didn't know. She grabbed a jacket over the shirt she was wearing and the sweats she had put on earlier, and snuck into the hall.

Michael and Audrey were asleep in the other room. Zach was asleep on the couch while Tom was up against the chair, flipping through static on the TV. She didn't saw anything and tried not to be seen as she made her way to the basement. She had approached the door without thinking. Maybe she was going down there just to see if last night had really happened or if the Ancestors had stolen her mind for a moment to make her hallucinate. Yet, before she could turn the handle, there was something stuck to the door. Some kind of paper with something very familiar written in red.

Jenny recognized it almost immediately. It was Nauthiz, a slanted _X_; the rune that kept whatever demon was inside to stay inside forever. Or until the rune was broken. Half furious and half asleep, jenny ripped the paper away. She didn't know if the rune was even working since last time they had to carve them into the door, but other times simply saying them and drawing them with your finger was enough. Still, jenny felt the throb of power break as she opened the door.

She was halfway down the stairs when she heard it. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"

Jenny stopped mid-way on the stairs and found the Shadow man leaning against the third bookcase, the one that held the door he had been trapped in for years because of her grandfather. He looked very nonchalant, dressed entirely in dull black clothes that made his sapphire eyes gleam dangerously. He was smiling, but it wasn't as cocky as it was earlier.

"It's mesmerizing, you know. How you wake up looking so _marvelous_. Like a sleeping lioness, in disarray but so prevailing. Such natural beauty."

Jenny looked away before she could get captured, although her cheeks were starting to feel warm. She wasn't used to compliments like that. "I didn't come to _play_," she said flatly. "I-remembered something about my grandfather's journals." She got down the stairs and went straight to the desk with the leather journals. "He mentioned your Ancestors….somewhere." She hesitated, then picked one up, opened it, and skimmed.

Julian's voice flowed from behind as smooth as water over rocks. "Hmm… And why not take the book-" Suddenly his voice was right behind her and it took everything in Jenny not to jump, "-back to the safety of your friends?"

Jenny didn't even look away from the harsh handwriting. "If you're going to _help_, I need to ask you some questions. Like, how did my grandfather capture them in the first place?"

"Do you plan on tricking us back into captivity?"

Before Jenny could argue, he was **touching** her. She flinched at the abrupt cold touch on her bicep, his fingertips ever so slowly running down her skin-very similar to spider-legs walking on the very tips of goose bumps-very light, very ticklish. It was unnerving how she got goose bumps almost immediately, but she didn't let it show on her face. She silently watched his hand move down her arm, around her wrist and to the back of her hand, barely brushing her skin with his fingertips.

His voice was softer than gauze when he spoke, as if mumbling to himself. "I can touch you here…."

He meant on Earth, without her permission. Unlike the Shadow World where he had to trick her into getting permission. However, Jenny didn't think he'd stop messing with her now.

She pulled away from him, trying to act bold enough to not be fooled. "You didn't answer my question."

"Why did you save me?"

Jenny hesitated upon meeting those eyes. Well, she hadn't technically brought him here on _purpose_, but she wasn't locking him up either. "We need your help. Whether we like it or not."

His glimmering blue eyes only pressed into her harder. They sparkled a deep blue, like the color of the ocean right as the sun was disappearing. "Then why not question me there? I would've answered you thinking you weren't real-"

"Or you could've tricked me into staying there with you forever if you found out I _was_ real."

To that, Julian only smiled-that same unnerving wolf-hungry smile he had always given her before. Usually it sent Jenny into a completely other world, one where she was the prey resting in the predator's paws. Yet, all Jenny could see was how terrified he had looked when her mirror image was being burned alive-

Suddenly she thought back to the day in the cave-such honesty and passion- and the lighthouse where he saved her, gave his soul for her-

"I couldn't just leave you there…"

Surprise struck Julian's eyes, and Jenny didn't even know why or how she said such a thing-but as the silence dwelled on it she knew it was true.

To shake it off, she quickly added, "Besides, I could've gotten stuck in their without your help. I'm sure _they_ would've liked that."

In a rush, she took the book and tried to leave, but Julian slapped it closed back onto the desk swifter than a large feline. He was facing her now, but Jenny didn't how he had trapped her in the corner of the room so quickly. His midnight blue gaze was staring her down. One hand was on the wall behind her, the other on the desk, and the rest of his body before her. She was entirely trapped, mind the bookcase beside her where there was enough room for her to push away if she wanted to-

Yet, she was staring right back at him, as if accepting his silent challenge half-heartedly.

"That was the only reason?" he asked smoothly.

"Yes," she tried to respond quickly, so she wouldn't over think her answer and expose the things she had pushed away far back in her mind that day in the cave.

But Julian saw right through her. "You trusted me, didn't you? You didn't want me trapped in there forever-"

"You're **different**, Julian, and you know it," she snapped. "You…." While she tried to find the words, something dark crossed Julian's face and he pulled away from her.

In the next second, Jenny heard the female voice from upstairs. "Jenny?"

Without looking at Julian, she took the journals from the desk and headed for the stairs where Dee quickly approached. Her shirt was a wreck and her half-closed eyes showed signs of just waking up. "Jesus, I freaked when you weren't in bed. What are you doing down here?"

"I needed the journals," she said as easily as she could without seeming flustered. "Interrogating the Shadow Man." She tried to sound playful, like Dee always was, to not seem so suspicious.

Dee smiled, gave the Prince of Darkness a glance, then turned away. "Well, food's on it's way so come back up.

Jenny waited till Dee disappeared before looking back to the Shadow Man. Surprisingly, he hadn't disappeared like he usually did. He stood away from her, gazing passed the hidden door at something she probably would never see.

She was halfway across the room when the question popped into her head. It was completely unorthodox for the current situation, but as she spotted Julian across the room, her curiosity got the best of her. "Julian," she said a little quietly. He was standing by one of the bookcases, his fingers dancing around a strange golden figure of a half naked person holding a spear. He just barely glanced over his shoulder at her with cold, intrigued eyes. Jenny danced with the thought in her head for a moment before she asked, "Do.. Do you eat? Like…food?"

She saw the corner of his mouth just curl up slightly before he looked back to the shelves of protective figures. "You could say that."

Grabbing the rest of the journals and any other loose papers, Jenny walked back to the stairs, asking as she passed him. "Well, what do you eat?"

"Would you care to take a guess?"

Jenny looked back at him and his simple smile suddenly gave her the chills-the kind of chills you get when you climb out of bed the first thing on a cold morning. Unexpected and cruel. That's when she thought of it-The Shadow Men were after her _soul_. They took _souls_- The thought frightened Jenny so bad that she looked away, back up to the stairs, and started to leave. "N-Not human food, I'm assuming."

She heard him laugh behind her then say, "Although, it's very similar to that."

Confusion swept over her and made her turn back towards him. Yet, the room was suddenly empty. It had already happened once, so she really should have seen it coming.

His lips were suddenly in her ear, whispering very firmly, very viciously, very lasciviously-so much so that it made her stomach flip in surprise. He wasn't touching her, but he was so close that Jenny felt trapped by his body, especially since he was blocking the door.

"Danger," he hissed slowly. "Fear. Temptation. Lust. Desire. All the little things….that humans would die without."

The room was a hundred degrees hotter now, and Jenny got flashes of when they were in Limbo, back when he was touching her, when he was whispering in her ear like he was now-the thrill-the _excitement_-

Jenny didn't know whether she should move away, scold him, or do anything at all. Before she could decide, he was walking past her, slowly, and with those devilish eyes looking back at her over his shoulder. "Let me know when you're _hungry_."

It was said with such an alluring tone that the threatening goose bumps made Jenny quickly leave the room. For some reason, she wasn't so hungry anymore.

She walked into the bedroom where Audrey sat with a half-asleep Michael, trying to work the TV. "Does this even work?"

Jenny dropped the books on the coffee table, saying, "No one's lived here for years. I doubt it." She took a glance around the room, spotted Summer's lights on, and the empty hallway. "Well since you guys are up, can you help me find something-"

Darkness flashed before them, and made Michael jump awake. The lights snapped back and flickered all throughout the house. Jenny looked back and saw the bulbs about to burn out, and finding Summer's room completely black.

"Where's Tom?" Jenny asked quickly.

"Uh, him and Zach just left to get some food… Is the generator going out?"

Jenny hesitated because somehow she just knew it wasn't right. She started to walk away, to wake Dee and Summer when she felt it. The sudden chill on her chest, running down her arms and numbing her core. It suddenly got tighter, and her breath became visible, and she just _knew_.

Before she could shout, the shadows whipped before her, hitting her right in the chest. It was such a sudden burst of power that it knocked her right off her feet. She hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of her, and her only breath sucked in was filled with ice. She felt the cold penetrate her lungs through her skin. She could feel it hardening in her chest so hard that it made her heart feel frozen. She tried to breathe, but couldn't. All she felt was ice digging deeper into her chest, blocking her lungs, and freezing her very soul.

The pain instantly brought tears, but she couldn't move. It was as if there was a frozen hand digging into her chest, deep between her ribs, and surrounding her heart with ice.

As she choked, the ground trembled and the lights flickered out. She heard Audrey scream somewhere behind her before it was drowned out with a terrible cracking. The ground threatened to split open as large black tendrils started to grow around the room, breaking through the old wooden walls, the floors, the ceiling.

Michael had to grab Audrey and move her out of the way of three large icicles shooting out one by one behind them, about to hit them. Dee came charging out with Summer and ran for Jenny, but before she could reach her, a black swirl of ice swooped up in front of her. She immediately punched the forming subject, but the ice ripped through her skin and forced her back.

Summer was crying. Audrey was shouting. Jenny felt herself slipping away, the world getting very hazy and cold. The shaking of the house took over her whole body, and she felt her suffocating coming to an end.

The black mist was about to cover the whole house before the place pulsed with some kind of mystical power. The atmosphere throbbed and the ice was suddenly retracted. The icicles shattered, the lights burned out, and the cold seeped through the cracks. The black tendrils were pulled out of the air and contracted until it faded in the palm of a hand.

The trembling came to a stop and the remaining lights fought to stay on. Julian closed his fist, cutting off the attack, standing powerfully over Dee and Summer. "Grab whatever you need to stay alive," he said firmly, "and get out. Now." Dee gave Jenny a quick glance before she dragged Summer away quickly, forcing Audrey and Michael to do the same.

Julian quickly turned on Jenny and scooped her up in his arms. With the walls promptly getting covered in frost, Julian didn't waste any time. Time flickered and they appeared outside. The early morning barely let in any light, but Julian could already see Jenny's problem. He laid her down in the dirt and made her look him in the eyes. "Come on, Jenny. _Breathe_."

He placed a hand solidly on her chest where his fingers suddenly dug deep into her skin. Jenny felt something escape into her from his touch, something that touched the cold and made the ice around her heart tighten. She writhed, suffering as the pain constricted tighter, until Julian _kissed_ her. His lips barely touched hers, but they were warm enough to distract Jenny for a moment. It was then that Jenny felt the new power get a hold of the ice, striking a new sense of pain through her very core before it rose up in her throat. His kiss was suddenly forceful, making the ice shards that had started to grow in her lungs detach and fly out. The same with the rest of the cold inside her. With Julian's kiss, it all rose up in a frozen mist to her throat and running like water out of her mouth.

As soon as he pulled away, a burst of air came to Jenny and she gasped so deeply that her lungs burned. She tried to sit up, breathing frantically, but Julian kept her at a certain angle. He shushed her and checked her face until the color came back to her. "Shh, shh. You're all right." It wasn't said in a soothing tone; no, because it was Julian who said it, because he said it so firmly that Jenny felt ordered to be okay. But strangely, she felt better. A _lot_ better.

However, she couldn't focus right at first. She heard a rumbling somewhere, then Audrey shouting as all of her friends came rushing from the house; Even though it was very hard to see in the early morning light. Summer was still crying, Michael was on the phone, and they each were carrying an armful of stuff. "Oh my God, Jenny!"

Dee immediately came to her side, although she was clutching her own arm, and Julian stepped back. "Are you okay?"

Jenny could only nod, since she was still trying to breathe right, and looked at Dee's arm. The skin was ghost white, surrounding with a harsh red, and her whole forearm was swollen. Yet, she only shrugged it off. "Frostbite. No big deal." Her normal smile gave Jenny enough strength to sit up. It was amazing how fast everything almost collapsed and she could still smile like that.

Julian's voice surprised them all. "I cut them off before they could do any real damage. _I'm _the only danger left."

Jenny looked to him, but his head was turned away, looking into the blackness of the forest around them. For a second, Jenny was confused on how his hair was such a golden yellow, and why he seemed to be glowing before she noticed the sudden lights that had appeared on him. Jenny recognized the rumbling as the old pick-up truck came speeding up.

Having rushed back since Michael called, Tom didn't even turn off the engine, and dove out of the car. He came charging straight up to the group, but his glare was straight at the staring Shadow Man. Jenny could already seeing him blowing up, so she tried to get up. Yet, she hadn't seen coming was the gun coming out from the back of Tom's belt.

He had started to shout something, but Zach was grabbing him, fighting him back. Everyone started shouting as Tom tried to get at Julian. Jenny forced herself up, stumbling and almost falling if it weren't for Dee. She was shouting, too, but she wasn't heard until she shoved Tom back. "Enough!" she choked out before coughing. Audrey had to keep her up, but she kept herself between Julian and Tom.

"He was just-"

"He was helping!" Jenny snapped.

Tom held up the gun, not aiming, but making his point perfectly clear. "This is all his fault. It's his fault you're even in danger. Why are you even standing up for-"

"At least he was here!" Jenny screamed so bad that the tears came back up. "He saved my life, damn it… And if I hadn't have taken that curse off the door-the one that _you_ put on, I would've probably died, Tom." It was clear by just the look in her eyes that she was talking about previous terms and not just his breakfast run.

The tension slowly pierced the group till the only noise in the silence was Jenny's sobs. "God, just **stop**," she said and shoved passed him.

Zach had to help her to the car and that was the sign that they had to leave. It was an awkward moment since in Julian's presence everyone felt sort of…frozen. Yet, one by one they followed in silence, bringing the small amount of clothes and food they had brought with them. Audrey ran back in for the journals and Michael also grabbed a few objects from the bookcases downstairs. Everyone was moving for the cars, getting ready to leave at such an early hour, all except Tom. He stood there firmly for a minute, staring down the Shadow Man who held no smiles or jokes. They both glared for a hard minute, sharing the same kind of hatred and the type of understanding. Yet, Julian smiled, making it clear that he had won, before he suddenly vanished.

There was a flash of something under Jenny's eyes and she jolted awake. Another nightmare that she couldn't remember. It was one of those dreams where she simply woke up with only this horrific, terrified feeling. She never knew what it was, although she could guess, but the darkness always snatched it away. She had it numerous times a while back, before she remembered her grandfather's sacrifice.

Yet, there was nothing she could do now, no matter how hard she wanted to remember. All she could do was rest for a moment as the anxiety and fear settled back inside the back part of her mind.

"You okay?"

When she opened her eyes again, she found Zach beside her. He looked pretty beaten up with bags under his eyes and hard lines of exhaustion on his face. His hair was down, surprisingly, the blonde hair seeming coarse against the smooth green blurs of the world passing by through the window behind him. For a moment he looked like he did a year ago, back in Julian's game when he was facing his nightmare; the nightmare of himself…

They were in Tom's truck where Dee was driving.

Jenny forced herself awake, but when she started to sit up, a deep ache hit her in the chest. She tried not to show it, but allowed herself to look around. "Where's…"

"Behind us," Dee answered without taking her eyes off the road. "The rest of them fit in Audrey's car. We figured it would be better if Tom…"

"Yeah," Jenny mumbled. She rubbed her eyes, then her face, but as soon as she touched her lips a shiver passed over her.

Julian.

Jenny sat up now, but even when she looked into the car behind them, all she could see was the small doll-like head of Summer in the passenger seat and the hard face of Tom driving. She doubted Julian was in the backseat with Audrey and Michael. Silently she swallowed the question because she just knew. Wherever he was, he was watching her right now.

She slowly turned back and looked at the nearest sign. "Where are we?"

Zach sat up for the map. "Uh…"

"Wait," Jenny rephrased, "I mean, where are we _going_?"

Dee could only give her a blank glimpse. "We started to head back toward home."

Jenny shook her head. "We can't go home. They'll…get our parents or Summer's brother."

"Well, where else are we supposed to go? We talked about this before we hit the road while you were out. There's nowhere else to turn!"

Zach sighed and quietly mumbled, "Running in circles."

Jenny gave him a worried glance then reached over and honked the horn.

"What are you-"

"Pull over. We all need to talk."

They both turned into a Denny's parking lot where the afternoon was as cold as ice. Seeing Tom was a bit unsettling for Jenny, but she was right. Julian was nowhere to be found. They started to huddle together and argue before Michael suggested they go inside.

They got two booths since one wasn't big enough and Jenny stuck with Dee and realized she was avoiding Tom. Although hot food and shelter from the bitter weather outside was comforting, the conversation quickly got out of hand.

It was mostly Audrey and Tom, arguing on the concepts of equal trading.

"Age, gender, and relations don't matter," Audrey was saying. "In most folklores, the trading of a soul was based primarily on concept. A life for a life."

"So what if they killed Julian? And this is just some sort of trick?"

"It doesn't work that way."

"You don't know! Either way, we're playing right into their hands!"

Jenny was the one to finally snap. "What do you expect us to do then?" Finally meeting his gaze again was a little unsettling but Jenny bared through it. "We can't hurt them. We can't even _see_ them. So I say Julian's our only weapon. That's the end of it." There was an awkward silence that didn't disappear until after the waiter came and refilled their drinks.

Michael was the first to speak again. "So where do we go?"

"We can't keep running forever," Audrey said.

Dee spoke next, "Well I'm down to stand and fight."

Jenny wanted to argue against it, but instead drank some of the coffee. She was never a fan of it, but she needed to stay awake and focus. Also she needed to get rid of the cold stone resting in the deep pit of her chest.

"How are we supposed to fight them?"

"We can use their runes. Use those against 'em." Dee said.

"But it's not that simple," Audrey clarified. "Their runes are very old, very dark type of magic."

"But Jenny used it."

All eyes looked to her to which she shook her head and kept her eyes on the swirling steam coming from her cup. "Yeah, and I dropped myself right into Limbo."

There was an disconcerting silence that moved through all of them, a very disappointing, very doubtful emotion that hit everyone of them one by one.

The argument continued, but after a while Jenny couldn't take it. For most of the conversation she completely zoned out, drinking her coffee even though it burned. She kept her head turned away for a while, staring off at the rest of restaurant. The waiters and waitresses were calmly doing their jobs. Local citizens were minding their own business, even a couple was flirting over in the corner, keeping warm over a few lattes.

Instead of calming down the sight made Jenny a little depressed. She wished she could go back to those days where her and Tom were so open, so loving, so carefree, without having to worry about school or fights or Ancient Shadow Men chasing them across the globe-

A girl passed by her and something about her caught Jenny's eye. It was her jacket she realized. A very cute, but very expensive style. A light army green with bedazzled shoulders, thick lining on the inside. Cute and warm. Jenny wished she could go out shopping just for the hell of it like she used to with Audrey. Shopping even without buying anything made her feel better. It didn't matter now though. All she felt was tired and _cold_. Remembering it, she took another sip of her coffee only to have it form in a pit of disgust in her stomach.

She came back to the argument only to hear Dee and Audrey screaming at each other with Tom and Michael interrupting here and there. Zach and Summer sat like silent dolls in the corners of the booths. Now tired, cold, and sick, Jenny got up and shuffled out of the booth, but not without Tom coming to a stand with her. "Where are you going?"

Jenny hesitated, realizing his concern was completely understandable, but seeing as they weren't on such great terms it was a little gauche. "To the bathroom? I'll be fine, Tom-"

"You said that last time and you were-"

"We're in public."

"We were right there-"

"Because they had the _right_," Jenny stressed. "Not here." She didn't bother to leave him with a claming, "I'll be really quick" or even ask one of the girls to come with her. She didn't want to. If she did get attacked or taken, it was better if it was only her and her alone.

Instead of going to the bathroom, however, she went to the back of the restaurant where the bathrooms were and snuck out a side door. She knew it was actions like this that got the stupid girl killed in horror movies, but she knew she wasn't going to hurt. At least, not by the older Shadow Men anyway.

She crept along the back wall until it was nothing but a secluded lot lined with a few dumpsters, a fence and part of a forest. She leaned against the wall, shivering slightly at the cold nipping at her bare arms and ankles. She didn't have to wait long for the voice to appear.

"You're not so foolish as to wander off on your own," Julian practically purred, "so you must be looking for me."

Jenny took a deep breath, preparing herself for this. She looked at him and found him leaning against the wall on his shoulder so he was facing her. He looked like the boy back in the More Games store a year ago. He wore black ripped jeans and some thick leather jacket with no shirt underneath, exposing his hard chest and smooth navel. With his hair brushed over his eyes like that, making his eyes glisten even brighter at her, he looked like the perfect irresistible bad boy out of the movies. And Jenny had to admit, for just a second, he was….well, hot.

Jenny moved the hair out of her face and returned to keeping her arms crossed to shield her from the cold. "We need to know how to stop them-"

"I don't suggest playing your own games with them," he cut her off. He stood up right and looked at something in his hand, but kept it closed. "We're the Kings of games and tricks."

"I know," Jenny persisted. She went to continue before a sudden smile overtook her at the memory of catching Julian off guard _twice_. "Maybe, but it doesn't mean you're not gullible," she said it with enough tease for Julian to get the hint. His smile faded for a moment before slowly rising back up.

"Blame the fool for taking the course of the heart," he said like some scholar. "But remember Jenny. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice-"

"Shame on me."

Julian's smirk widened. "For Shadow Men, it's shame on you."

Jenny got the hint with the next chilling breeze. Shadow Men have rights, which mean they will get back at you, no matter what. The realization made Jenny get back on topic. "So how can I stop them? Or.. At least to get them off my friends?"

"You'd sacrifice yourself for your friends?"

"I did it once, didn't I?"

Julian's smile didn't falter. "Ah, but that was a trick indeed, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Jenny said firmly. "You don't threaten my friends."

"Well…."

Jenny didn't get it. "Well, what?" Before Julian could answer she swept by the wind again, receiving far too many goose bumps for her to handle, so she turned away and shivered. She was trying to rub her arms to get warmer when something suddenly touched her. The cloth felt like a heater compared to how cold she seemed with the chilling air and ice in her chest. There was an admirable pause as Julian slipped the jacket on her without once touching her directly. It was the jacket she saw earlier, the one that girl was wearing. And Jenny was right, the inner lining shielded her perfectly from the cold. She tucked herself into it, something very bad and very familiar going on in the back of her head. Yet, the subtle look on Julian's face made her ignore it just slightly.

"Thank you," she said cautiously. "But I still don't get what you're saying."

"It's what you've been saying all along, Jenny." His voice was suddenly very soothing and Jenny realized he didn't step away from her. He stayed very closer with her pressed against the wall.

Jenny tried to connect the dots. Why was a normal conversation so hard with this Shadow Man? "Games? You told me not to play games-"

"I said not to play _your_ games with us. We're not so stupid."

That's when Jenny got it. Whenever she tricked Julian it was during one of his games. He was about to pull a trick on her when she turned the tables. The element of surprise, she could hear Dee say in her mind. So he wasn't denying that Shadow Men could be tricked, it was which trick that was the problem.

"So," Jenny hesitate, "wait for their move?'

Julia playfully shrugged, crossed his arms and turned away as if to leave her there alone. "Or make your own. Whichever you think is best."

Jenny caught on. "I don't want what's best. I want what's _smartest_." Julian looked back at her over his shoulder, eyebrow lifted teasingly. "You're not stupid. Just gullible." Julian just smiled with a "Hm," and turned away again. Jenny thought she had an answer, but for some reason she didn't let him leave. "Wait," she stopped him and waited for him to turn back to her completely. It was another odd moment where she was speaking without thinking. "Where do you go?" She asked gently. "When we're just….doing everything. Where do you go?"

Julian actually found it amusing and gave her a soft chuckle. He returned to her and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. She paused, giving him a skeptical look, but in the end put her hand in his own. He pulled her closer, of course, until her face was inches from his own and their chests were touching. If she tilted her head up at all, they would be kissing. Being so close so suddenly made Jenny feel far too hot in the new jacket. He turned her hand up then placed his other hand in it. Jenny felt something slip into her fingers, but Julian refused to let her see it just yet.

"I am everywhere you want me to be," he said in a very hushed tone, his breath tickling her face. "If you want anything, to be anywhere, just think of it and I will be there to give it to you." He closed her hand over the small, cool object, then lifted her hand so he could kiss the back of her fingers. Jenny finally lifted her gaze, being thankful for her own hand to separate their faces. "I am the shadows at your command," he whispered onto her hand before completely releasing her.

Something shuddered through Jenny, making her silently lose her breath.

Jenny opened her hand to find a small black stone resting in her palm. It seemed like ebony, but for some mundane reason she knew it was anything but. Yet, it shined nicely in the light and seemed to catch her attention very well. She looked up to question him, only to find herself staring at the empty lot.

Really, she should've seen that coming.

Tired of his games, she put the stone in her jacket pocket then strolled back inside. It was feeling the cool touch of the jacket's material and the blush on her cheeks that she remembered Julian's original trick. When he gave her the silver rose back in his first game, he used it as a guise to touch her. This jacket gave him permission to touch her entire upper body. Yet, all he touched were her hands. And he had permission to touch her here, didn't he?

Her thoughts were muddled on the subject so much that her dazed state made her run right into Summer coming around the corner.

"Oh, Jenny! I was coming to check on you."

A pinch of doubt made Jenny flinch. "Oh, Summer, don't ever go alone, okay? I-If I was in trouble-"

"That's why I followed her," Tom interrupted as he came around the corner behind her. He went to say something else, but his eyes caught something strange and he looked her over. "Where did you get that jacket?"

Jenny hesitated, looking at the jacket, then back at Tom. She didn't have to say anything because Tom already knew the answer. "So he just followed you to the bathroom?"

Jenny didn't wait for his argument. She took Summer's hand and brought her back to the table. "We needed to talk, Tom-"

"About what? You're new…taste in clothes?"

Jenny gave him a glare, stopping in front of the table of their friends. "If you actually care at _all_, he gave me a hint of how to stop them."

Tom laughed sarcastically. "Oh, just a hint? What a big help."

Jenny tried not to scowl. She hated when he got like this. If they ever got in an argument or something, usually in front of his other friends, he acted like this. Too hot-heated. Too stubborn.

"Bigger than what we got," Dee mentioned. "What did he say?"

"Shadow Men are just tricks. It's what they're all about. The dreams, the ice. It's their way of scaring me. When Julian tried to scare us, he was playing tricks. Whenever we tricked him back, it was during his own game."

"So…trick the Shadow Men?" Michael said.

"With their own game," Jenny said, a slight smile rising up on her lips. Her stomach didn't hurt anymore and now that she was warm she seemed to be thinking a lot clearer now. "It's like you said, Dee. We can use their runes. But it's all about timing. The element of surprise. If we can catch them in that right moment, we can shake them off of us."

Her confident tone must've waken up the hope in them because everyone at the table smiled. Even Michael with a mouthful of hash browns gave a childish grin. Jenny smiled back and stood up firmly until Audrey asked, her inner shopper coming out, "Where did you get that jacket?"

Jenny finally cringed. "Julian, while we were talking…."

Thankfully and surprisingly Zach saved her from the awkward realization that passed over everyone. "So how are we supposed to trick them, exactly?"

"When they make the next move, we…just have to counter it the best we could."

"But last time they almost took you," Summer protested. "We couldn't do anything."

Jenny hesitated, then got it. "That's why we set it up. Make it so they can only attack us in one way, in one place, at one time. That way we _can_ counter it."

Tom's voice came coldly from behind her. "So we dangle you out for bait then _hope_ we can pull you back in?"

"Do you want me to run for the rest of my life?" Jenny turned on him. "Or just let them take us all like they want-"

"I just want you to be safe," Tom pressed tightly, the desperation obviously showing.

"Then trust me!" Jenny said firmly. She looked at everyone saying, "Let's head into town. Get some supplies and set up camp. Once we have everything, let's set it up and end this."

She got a few nods from the group, but Tom however was pouting like a kid. He looked at her, or moreover her jacket, then looked away. "Take it off," he mumbled. "And we'll…try this."

Jenny hesitated, but complied. They wouldn't be able to get passed this if there wasn't some kind of compromise. She began to slip off the jacket before the weight in the pocket stopped her. Without Tom seeing, she slipped the rock into her back pants pocket. Then she slipped the jacket off and handed it to him to which, in turn, he gave her his own jacket. It wasn't as warm as the one Julian gave to her, but it felt more comfortable somehow, more…safe.

"Well, that's it then," Tom said clearly as he threw the jacket onto another booth. "Let's get to it."


	3. A familiar End

**I have to say I just found some errors on the rune names in ch. 1 and im so embarrassed xP I have fixed them though. I apologize for those and any further mistakes. Here's chapter 3 and please review. Those are what keep me going. X)**

There was a pinch of pain, then she was drowning in a sea of fear. It was thick and black and cold, dragging her under without a second to spare. Feeling the disgusting, cruel liquid covering her face made her actually terrified. She was dying, and somehow she just knew that everyone she loved was drowning, too.

In the next second she was yanked back up. The life entering her stung as she was detached from the liquid death. Air filled her lungs and she jolted awake with a gasp. Her whole body launched forward before a gentle hand caught her. She was in some room, some place she couldn't identify but recognized somehow. She was desperately catching her breath when she looked up and saw such kind, sapphire eyes smiling at her.

"J-Julian?"

He shushed her gently and leaned her back down. His fingers were hardly touching her shoulder, but with enough force to get her relaxed. Then they danced up her throat to her chin where he tilted her head up higher to him. "It's just a dream," he said softly, but his words didn't match his lips. The image of him got fuzzy and Jenny realized she was drifting back. Back where, she didn't know. The unknown started to scare her until the warm, tender touch of Julian's lips on her forehead calmed her.

She settled back into the warmth for a while before she was shaken awake. "Jenny," Zach was calling. "Jenny, we're here."

Jenny woke up finally, making sure she was actually here and not still dreaming. _Just a dream_. She told herself. Not them. Not real. Just a dream. "Where?" she asked.

"Town," Tom answered. Jenny looked over at him in the driver's seat. She had been leaning on him, she suggested since his jacket was laid out on his shoulder like a pillow.

"So what are we supposed to be looking for, a hardware store or something?" Zach asked.

Jenny hesitated. "Uh, well… Do you think there's a superstore here somewhere?" She looked to Tom, but surprisingly he met her eyes, but never answered her.

Before she could question it, a hand grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned, expecting to see her cousin, but somehow she saw something much darker. A tall, black figure masked by darkness only revealing a dark grin. It was surrounded by ice that formed on the window behind it, and the hand it was touching her with wasn't even a real hand. A _hoof_ of some sort, and it was _grabbing_ her-

Jenny screamed as she slammed back into Tom, making him swerve and slam on the brakes. There was another shout and horns blaring before the car jerked to a stop.

"What? What's wrong?!"

Jenny blinked and she saw her cousin staring at her with wide, confused eyes. He was completely normal, even the window was ice-free. Jenny grabbed her chest where she could still feel the lump of ice resting in the pit of her ribs. Tom was shaking her. "Jenny, what's _wrong_?"

She looked at him, then back to her cousin. "Nothing…" She breathed. "Sorry."

_Just a dream, _she told herself until her heart stopped racing. _Just a dream. That was just an hallucination. _

They got out of the car where Audrey and the others pulled over behind them and met up with them. "What the hell happened?" Dee asked.

The boys only looked to Jenny who saw the worry in Summer's doll-like eyes. Even though her knees suddenly felt like Jell-o, she stood up straight and said, "I was still half asleep…"

"She _screamed_," Tom said a little tensely. "Almost made me crash."

"You okay, Sunshine?" Dee asked and Jenny nodded.

"I'm sorry. But… we need to find a hardware store or something, right?" Since Tom didn't really want to speak, she looked to Zach who nodded.

"Well, what are we even looking for?" It was Audrey who asked it, flipping her copper hair as she did.

Jenny nervously bit her lip. "I'm not sure… Rope or…something…"

"How about a blowtorch?" Dee said with a wild smile. "We'll scorch those suckers away." Jenny gave her a soft smile.

Michael tugged on Audrey's shoulder. "You're the traveler. Where do we go?"

Audrey gave him a stern pout, then fixed her hair and held her chin high. "What am I, your personal GPS?"

"Aw, don't be like that," Michael bumped his shoulder into her. "I know you're a lot smarter than that."

"Damn right."

Using a little guidance and asking around, they were able to find a superstore that had everything from food to house appliances and gun sections. They ventured to the back where the sections divided into dozens. Everyone looked at each other before Tom sighed and took the lead. "All right, I guess we split up."

"Buddy System," Dee said even though she held up a protective fist.

"I think it should be boy-girl," Summer said shyly and took Zach's arm. "That way everyone's protected…"

Jenny nodded. "Sounds fine. Tom and I will go this way. Dee, you can take Michael-"

"No." Surprisingly, Tom cut her off. "Dee, you go with Jenny. I'll take Michael and Audrey. So everyone has a strong person with them in case anything happens."

Jenny gave him a stern look, but he refused to so much as glance at her. The fact that he even walked away from her after doing such a thing made something in Jenny boil. She took a deep breath and looked away. _Just relax. _She told herself. "Fine. Let's go. Summer and Zach, maybe you guys should stick close."

It's not like she thought her cousin wasn't strong or anything, but as feeble as he was she was sure both he and Summer would get caught up in the Shadow's Man tricks. Even as she closed her eyes she could see it so clearly, Summer only standing there screaming as the black tendrils surrounded her while Zach was dragged into the blackness-

Stop, stop!

They ventured into the isles, finding exotic things from bear traps to chicken wire to elastic ropes. Dee was picking up interesting picks and such things, but Jenny couldn't comprehend. She wasn't really looking at the tools. Finally, the panther strolled over and turned her around. "You know Tom's just trying to look out for you-"

"By ignoring me?" Jenny scoffed and looked away again. "He ignored me for _weeks_, Dee. It was why we broke up. He finally reaches out to me, then just…"

Jenny saw something flash before her, but she only closed her eyes and ignored it. A voice whispered in the back of her mind, but she couldn't hear it just right.

"Give him some time," Dee said comfortingly before she gave an excited groan. "Ooh, look at this baby!" She picked up some type of graveling hook, playing with it on the rope like some hunter from the Dark Ages. "We could catch those bastards with one of these, for sure!"

Jenny couldn't help but smile. Yet, as she watched Dee play with the toy she found, the flashes returned. Dee was no longer moving about, but standing completely limp; actually she was _hanging_. She was being dangled off the ground with the same hook shoved through her chest and the moving shadow as the culprit was standing right behind her. Blood was pooling from her chest, staining the hook a sickening black, and Dee's face-

Jenny forced herself to blink long and hard and when she reopened them, Dee was returning the item to its spot on the isle.

Jenny quickly walked away. _Just a dream. Like that is just a worker. That is just a dog. That is just a picture. Just…_

Something inside Jenny clicked and she took a good look at everything around her. More than meets the eye, more in-depth. It was so familiar. This was just a store. Just an isle, just a _room_.

"Zach!" Jenny called and ran around the isle until she found her suddenly shocked cousin.

"What? What?" He said as he gripped her shoulders.

Jenny gripped right back, suddenly very intoxicated with discovery. "What was that thing called? Remember? Julian used it in one of his games. Remember that picture you showed me, saying it wasn't a pipe. That-That illusion crap-"

"Magritte? Yeah?"

"What if that's it?" Jenny pondered. "I mean, if you think about it that easel was just an easel before Julian put his magic in it. That closet was just a closet until my grandfather scratched those runes on it."

Dee stepped forward with Summer standing beside her. "What are you getting at?"

Jenny looked around and grabbed some thick industrial rope from the shelf. "It's just like you said, Dee. We can use their runes. What if we can put _their _magic into our stuff?" She dropped the rope and grabbed something else, something like a tenting pole, but could clearly see it with a broken edge, like a spear. "What if we carve runes or something into _our_ stuff? We could…"

"We could use them as weapons," Zach finished for her, taking the pole from her.

Dee grinned excitedly and punched her fist. "We might be able to injure them."

"At least for the meanwhile. Until we figure out our trap."

Summer smiled, looking like a child with her thick blonde curls overflowing her face, and pulled on Zach's arm again. "Let's go tell Audrey."

Jenny went to add something before she glanced just passed Summer and saw it. A dark shadow lingering at the end of the isle. It was looking at her, and looking back at it made Jenny lose her breath. It was hideous, but she couldn't even identify why. The sight of it made her stomach sick and her head dizzy. She looked back at Zach who was studying her closely, but even when she looked back the figure was still there, in fact it was even closer. Actually, a _lot_ closer. It stood right behind Zach. If it simply turned its head or lifted its hand, it could touch him, It could _take_ him-

Jenny choked on a gasp and looked desperately to her cousin. His eyes studied her carefully, then turned and looked behind them. "What is it? Are you okay?"

Jenny could still see it, hovering closer and closer to her cousin. Dee even stepped forward and blocked it and Jenny just knew it was coming close to her, as well. "Jenny, what's the matter?"

Jenny blinked hard and rubbed her eyes. Still the creature was there. But Zach hadn't seen it. Only Jenny had; only Jenny was seeing things-

Desperately she grabbed her face and looked away. "N-Nothing…Dizzy," she mumbled, but she couldn't say anything more because a sudden chuckle echoed around her. Judging by her friends faces, they heard nothing.

Dee turned on Zach, saying, "Go get Tom-"

"No!" Jenny snapped and opened her eyes again. "I-I'm fine…"

"_Are you?" _The voice was like a snake, hissing deep from her mind to the point where it gave her a headache. Her chest hurt again and Jenny suddenly found it very hard to breathe. Just as she tried to stay calm, all her control and composure broke with the numerous voice echoing in her head.

"_You took them. Our blood right. We didn't even start. Life for a life. We'll take you. And your friends. You can't stop us. Blood right. We'll have you. Forever. Ours. Death. And Pain. Your friends. Your love. Crushed. Life for a life. Three lives. Ours. You. Are. Ours_-

Jenny drastically grabbed her ears and crouched away. _Stop it_, she was thinking desperately as the fear swept straight through her heart. _Stop it. Stop it_. "Stop it."

_Forever. He wasn't good enough. Human. Blood. You. All of you. More than enough. So much fun. So much time to play. We'll take you. Now. All of you-"_

"Shut up!" jenny suddenly shouted and opened her eyes. The lights were flickering all around her and with every beat she saw blood spilled all over the floor. She heard her friends, but they were suddenly very far away, very distant and very disoriented. She was afraid to look anywhere else, too afraid to turn and see something heinous; she didn't want to see their torn bodies or pale, lifeless faces.

She knew they weren't real, but hearing such cold, cruel voices hissing non-stop in her head was numbing enough to scare her out of her wits. They were so loud and so vicious, she could clearly see their sharp, yellow teeth smiling grimly at her.

Something touched her and she reeled away. When she looked up to where her fiends had been standing innocently in the store isle, she saw straight into the Shadow World. Stuck between two rocky walls, there was darkness only lit by strikes of some kind of lightening above, flickering her vision madly at the creatures stalked toward her. There were six of them, tall and grotesque, growing taller and taller with each flash of light, and more and more hideous. The wind struck her harshly, whipping her around enough to stumble away. One reached for her as the voices continued to whisper. But now it was just gibberish, very close but so, so quiet. It was more frightening then understanding them.

She finally heard her name, then a blood-curling scream and a bone-chilling laugh. The closest one tried to grab her and Jenny took off running. The rock walls however, blended in perfectly with the darkness and she only ran with the flashes of light. But the voices grew louder, closer, more violent and more impatient. They were right behind her, right on her heels, boney, bloody fingers outstretching for her, right behind her, about to grab her hair and drag her into the deep depths of unknown, right behind her, _right behind her_-

Jenny felt her frantic running hit something and she stumbled. She probably would've fell right into the shadows and never stopped if the arms hadn't have caught her. Yet, the cold body only frightened her more when all she could see was the black material they were wearing. She immediately squirmed, her feet finding the ground and trying to pry herself away. They were saying something to her as they pulled her back, but all Jenny could hear were the hideous laughs and chilling threats-

"Jenny, **stop**."

The order was followed by sudden pressure on her biceps, so tight and so strong that it hurt enough to make her cry. She stopped as the grip forced her to a still and held her in place, but Jenny refused to open her eyes. She was stuck in a very cold, very dark place. Whoever was holding her, _whatever_ had her right now, she didn't want to see it.

Yet, one by one the voices died down into a single smooth voice. A familiar one that sounded elemental, like water over rocks.

"Jenny, you have to look at me."

Desperately, she shook her head.

"_Yes_."

"I can't. If it's not you-O-Or them-I _can't_."

"Are you going to let them win? Let them take you? Take your friends?"

For once Julian actually sounded distressed, like he did back in the lighthouse when he tried to get Jenny to leave before his Ancestors tried to take her. Hearing it was like striking the wrong chord on the instrument. It surprised Jenny so much that she finally opened her eyes and looked up. The edges of her vision were black for a while, but slowly she could see him. His white hair was dancing grey with the shadows while his eyes-they were a very dark blue now, like the deepest blue of midnight, right as the sun starts to hit it, so vibrant, lingering on the verge of dark and light.

Right now they were searching her desperately as his grip didn't loosen. Seeing him so strangely amid the darkness only terrified her more. Something in them changed as he met her gaze and his voice tightened. "Jenny, you have to give me permission."

"No!" She said quickly and shook her head fiercely. It was a trap. All a trap. They were in her head. Making her see what they wanted her to see. Make her fall right for Julian's words so they could take her. Take her to the shadow world where they could torture her forever, doing God-knows what-

"Jenny, look at me!"

The tears blinded her and she could only shake her head. She was so scared. She didn't want to see the Shadow Men behind her. She didn't want to give in to his words. She didn't want to die or have her friends get killed because of her. She just wanted everything to be normal, to be warm and safe, with her friends and her family and-and-

"That's it, Jenny, keep thinking." Now everything was muddled. She was pulled against his chest until her face was buried into the crook of his neck as his arms wrapped around her upper body-the part he had permission to touch because of the jacket-and the stone-

He was gripping her hand now, the hand where she could feel the warm lump in her palm.

"Remember? Whatever you want to see, whatever you want, Jenny."

He wasn't trying to bribe her. No, his voice was much calmer than that. He was speaking as if coaxing her back to reality, his voice low and serious in her ear. But it was so exotic, offering her so much for so little.

Whatever she wanted to have? Wherever she wanted to go? Just as the thought sounded so inviting, the cold in her chest struck her like a cold knife, making her wince away.

But Julian didn't let her escape. "Hurry, Jenny. Just picture it in your mind. Wherever you want. I promise it'll be okay. Please, just _think of it_."

Jenny suddenly felt very tired as the last of the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes were already closed, but she couldn't focus right. She didn't know what she wanted. All she knew was that she didn't want to be in the darkness anymore. She was tired of the cold and the voices and the visions and the blood and the threats-

So she saw somewhere wide and bright with lots of open space and colors. A cool place where black and white mixed evenly to reveal so many colors. And it was suddenly so warm, so warm that it melted away the voices, the ice, and everything around her. She was comfortable now, losing her sense of time and place. She was comfortable and content and _safe_.

There was a very odd sensation after that. It was as if she just forgot everything. The fear was entirely gone as was everything else. She wasn't thinking anymore, only something very light passing through her as time seemed to move on by.

When Jenny opened her eyes again, she was laying down on something very soft and weightless, smothered in thick blankets. When she moved, she realized the bed was so light it was like a cloud and it was just so warm. Jenny felt like she was a kid again, so lazy and unmotivated that she didn't want to get out of bed-but the sudden reminder of her friends and the Shadow Men and Julian made her jump up.

The room was unfamiliar with beige walls, a bureau in the corner, a beautiful and exquisite vanity table in the other corner, and a window parallel to her. Warm sunlight was peeking through the curtains and curiosity got the better of her as she walked over to it. It was standing up that she realized her clothes had changed. From her ripped and worn jeans and white blouse, she now had on a black dress that hugged her body just enough to make her look stunning, but comfortable. It was similar to silk, but somehow different, as if the material was alive and let her breathe and moved with her as she started to move. Her legs were very weak, but she found her feet bare on the soft wood floor and pulled away the curtains.

When her eyes adjusted to the light, she was starting to think she was dreaming. The land outside was endless with a large yellow field dotted with flowers of every color, mixing gorgeously. There were grassy hills in the background and a cool, rocky mountain hoisting the sun up. It was a breath-taking view really because even right beyond the hills was a vast blue lake, as blue as sapphires, as blue as-

"It's the peak of the Highlands of Scotland," Julian said smoothly.

Jenny turned and he was leaning against the doorway she hadn't noticed before. He was wearing a black t-shirt, unbuttoned to reveal his pale collarbone, black pants and black boots. The sunlight danced off his hair, making it gleam like freshly fallen snow, and his eyes…

His face was solemn, soft as he looked out the window, then at her. Jenny couldn't take the honest look in his eyes. With such a gentle gaze as that, he almost looked…human.

Too many different feelings rushed through Jenny so she looked back out the window. "Wha-….We're-really in Scotland?"

"If that's what you want to believe."

Jenny looked back and he was right in front of her, within arm's reach but making no move toward her. He was gazing at her with a new gaze and as he took her in, he inhaled deeply then let it out with a new face, as if realizing something. Jenny was too far gone to question it.

"What do you… Oh, God. My friends. Zach and Dee-" She was cut off by the mirror that Julian held out to her. He said nothing as he offered it to her, so Jenny gently took it. The hand mirror showed her reflection for only a second-showing her eyes slightly bloodshot and her hair framing her face in a honey glow-before it flickered and showed her friends in a room, all of them asleep. Summer and Dee were sprawled out on one couch, looking like Goldie Locks next to a black panther. Zach and Audrey were on the next couch, posted as if they had fallen asleep while watching a movie or something. Michael was posted in some chair, slouched over very far and about to fall off, while Tom was sprawled on the floor. All of them were sleeping. All of them were fine. They were alive.

Jenny breathed a little easier and set the mirror down on the vanity table near them. She was afraid to look back at Julian even though she knew he was watching her. She looked out the window one more time before closing the curtains. She didn't really know what to say either. "Your Ancestors-"

"Did you ever question the people inside Asylums?" He asked suddenly. It was normal for Julian to change subjects like this, but something was different. His tone wasn't cool and collected, trying to slowly trick her into what he was getting at. No, it was…rushed in a way. Like he was trying to make his point, but what a drastic point it was that it disturbed his voice.

"Did you ever wonder how a normal man, a husband, a father, just one day lost his mind? Just completely lost all his sense of reality and reasoning?"

Jenny waited till he looked at her before she shook her head. "It's very simple, really." That shocked Jenny. Whatever conversation they were going to have, whatever they had to say, she never would've guessed _this_. "It depends on the person, their age, their lifestyle. And their _fear_. The dark is such a frightening thing, Jenny, mixed with a few whispers, a few hallucinations. You seem to lose your sense of what's real and what's not, between what's possible and what is not. Is it really a wolf, or a just a picture-"

"Magritte," Jenny cut him off. "Is that what you're getting at?"

"That concept, yes, but also just basic reasoning." His eyes flickered back to her after having looked away again, and the blue in them swayed like a flame. He finished slowly, "Shadow Men are _very_ reasonable."

A strike of fear hit Jenny. It was true; Shadow Men were very old, very wise, very beautiful, but very dangerous. They knew how to coax you into their hands, whether it was with fear or reason. It was how her grandfather sacrificed himself for her. It was why Julian enjoyed his games so much; he got to mix his use of reasoning with the games, forcing them to use him as help and still fall right into his hands.

"So?" It was the only thing Jenny could really think to say. "They're also cruel and crafty-"

It seemed to hit Jenny right as Julian turned on her. "Exactly. We'll get in your head and make you hallucinate. We'll show you anything to make you scared, until you think you're somewhere else, till you really do run right into our hands. For all you know you could still be in their grasp, in this exact moment. I could be a simple hallucination right here in front of you, while you're thinking your safe when this could turn into a nightmare at any _second_. It's **that easy**."

Jenny was suddenly ripped away from herself. That fear made her lose all thought. If the Shadow Men still had her-If she was just hallucinating Julian right now-like in Limbo-

Dear God.

But he acted like Julian. Yet, that was how jenny knew him. However, she didn't know _this_ side of him. She didn't know this stressed version, this emotional, almost human side of Julian that was trying to persuade her into something.

Was it reality? Or farther into a nightmare?

Even when Julian continued, Jenny couldn't listen. All at once she could understand how Julian felt when he saw Jenny burned alive, then was holding the real her for dear life. All at once she understood the risk, the fear, and the consequences.

She glanced around the room one more time. Julian had always promised her everything she ever wanted. Why would his Ancestors put her here? Because that's what she wanted.

Was it?

Did she always want what Julian offered?

Nothing made sense anymore.

"Do you understand now, Jenny? We'll take you as simple as that," he was stressing, but Jenny wasn't listening.

If this wasn't real. If Julian wasn't real-

He began to turn away from her, but Jenny couldn't take it. If disappeared on her. If he was just an hallucination-

In the next second she grabbed his face and forced his lips against hers. The shock was obvious, but Jenny didn't let him pull away. She kissed him hard, pulling herself completely against him. She waited for him to fade or simply disappear, or even the room to melt. If this was an hallucination then he wouldn't be able to touch her. If this was fake, then everything would disappear or he would turn into some hideous monster.

He didn't.

He hesitated for only a moment before he grabbed her and kissed her back. To Jenny's surprise they were very gentle kisses. A foreign shiver raced down her spine and to her gut. Like tiny bolts of electricity were tickling her lips in slow motion. And his hand was so soft on her cheek that it made her lean into more kisses.

Now _that_ couldn't be fake. There was no way the Shadow man could fake that feeling.

Eventually, Jenny pulled away where the realization set in. "Still here," Jenny mumbled, a little breathlessly. She got off of her tip toes, not realizing she had been on them, and turned away. "We're still here, so it's real. You didn't fade away so you're not fake." She faced him and said as clearly as she could. "I won't let them trick me into insanity. Or my friends. They won't win. _I'll _say what's real and what's fake."

It was quiet for a minute before Julian let out a soft chuckle. "Now do you see why I fancy you so much?"

Jenny looked and he had on a smile, but it seemed…weak for someone like Julian. It wasn't wide or hungry or devilish, just small and honest. "Your strength. Your admiration. Your courage."

Jenny didn't want to take in such compliments. "I mean….It's not like I'm not _scared_," Jenny forced the words out. "But… for my friends…. I just won't. Not to them. Not to something so-"

Jenny stopped herself, but Julian finished for her, "Evil? Cruel? Cunning?"

He was moving toward her, but Jenny couldn't walk away nor toward him. She stood still until he approached her, his gaze covering her in blue flames that tingled her skin. He stopped right before her, barely inches away, his mystical gaze pinning her down easily. "Are you frightened?" he asked so quietly it was almost inaudible. "Of me?"

Jenny actually had to ponder on the question. There was something in the atmosphere now. Something very soft, but mundane. Very familiar, but dangerous. Like back in the cave, the day Julian seemed so human. Just like now.

"Sometimes," she answered honestly without really thinking at all. "What you can do…. That scares me… But because you don't do such things, I'm not afraid of you."

His eyelids drooped just slightly and his head tilted back a little. "Don't test me, Jenny." It wasn't said as a threat, although maybe it was supposed to be. In order to push her away-

Yet, Jenny wasn't pushed away at all. "I don't intend to. It's just…."

Jenny lost her train of thought when Julian lifted his hand and grazed the back of his fingers against her cheek. It was so gentle that it made something inside Jenny, the thing Julian had created within her upon meeting him, grow stronger.

"It's just you're not cruel. Not to me. Not to my friends, really." She grabbed his hand when he pulled away, something changing in his face. "And I know you are cruel. I know you're powerful and dark, but towards me-"

"You can't change me, Jenny-

"And I don't want to."

She said it on impulse, but it wasn't until after she said it that she realized it was true. The way he acted, the way he was, it was why apart of her….

She didn't want to finish that thought. The fear of that thought was too much for her to handle. And it must've registered on her face because Julian noticed it, his eyes growing lighter if just slightly.

She quickly walked away and ran her fingers through her hair to try and calm down. The wood was hot under her feet now and the silk dress seemed like it was constricting her. God, she almost died _again_ and here she was, standing in Scotland with-

"Then," Julian's voice came at her slowly, "what do you want?"

"I-uh…." Jenny desperately tried to get her reasoning back, but as much as she tried it wouldn't return as fully as she needed it to. She wanted to go home, she wanted to assure her sleeping friends that she was okay. Yet, there was also a side of her, a very new, very curious side that she didn't want to face because if she did…

It was just like remembering the night her grandfather was taken. It was a terrifying thing, but she needed to know, but as soon as she did, she would lose control of everything.

Yet, even as she tried to suppress whatever was rising up inside her, she could see through the window again-didn't she close that earlier?-back into the fields. And those feelings were forced to be exposed.

No matter how hard she didn't want to see them, they were there. As she stood there with Julian approaching her from behind, she realized it. The side of her that Julian that had changed; A side of her that wanted to walk out the front door and explore the plains of Scotland, even if they were fake, with Julian.

There was a side of her that wanted to sit in a dark castle as its queen. There was a side of her that wanted a white tiger as a pet and to go anywhere she wanted, have anything she ever desired.

But the realization of having it all was just too much.

He was behind her, but Jenny couldn't look at him. If she looked at him-If she saw his eyes-If he kissed her-

"Do you wish to wake up in a different place every day, to explore it's exotic plains? A griffin to carry you anywhere you desire? Or how about a large wardrobe to give you clothes you've only dreamed of-"

"Stop, stop." Jenny faced him now, but only to push him away. "I…Just stop."

"Do you understand, Jenny? I could take you, right now. I don't have to give you back. With me, you're safe. You won't have to worry about anything anymore. My Ancestors can't touch you if you're with me."

Jenny didn't look up. She _couldn't_. She kept her hands on her face, trying to focus as Julian's elemental voice played in her ears.

"I'll give you anything, Jenny. Just like this, things that you won't get anywhere else. You want it, I know you do. Just let me make you happy."

Jenny stood completely still when Julian touched her, lightly running his fingers over her hands until he was able to pull them off her face. He was so close now, and trying to coax her head up. Jenny waited, firmly she stood with her eyes clenched shut, desperately trying not to think about what Julian was offering, but about everything else. About the other Shadow men. About her friends, and Tom-

Oh, God, that didn't help.

That's when she looked up. "Just because I'm safe," she found the breath to say, "doesn't mean my friends are. They'll still attack Tom and everyone else even if I'm gone."

The disappointment and anger swept through Julian's eyes, but his face didn't show it. He refused to let her hand go, as well. He looked down at it as Jenny did and gently stroked the back of her hand. He spoke slowly, his tone intrigued and almost casual. "And…if I don't let you leave?"

Jenny scowled up at him. "Don't do that. Don't be cruel just to prove to me that you can be." She ripped her hand away and turned for the door that was now gone. "You can't keep me here-"

"I could do a lot worse."

She sighed and tried to be stern with her actions. Cold, not responsive at all. "If you just…keep me here, I'll starve myself. I won't let you-"

"I can force you."

Jenny turned on him, getting furious faster than a fire. But it died just as quickly at the look on his face. The same as it always had been, beautiful and cunning, but still so soft, almost distant. She was used to dealing with Julian. She just had to be clear. She just had to be reasonable. Shadow Men were very reasonable-

-which meant they made bargains.

Jenny bit her lip. She was the only thing he wanted. How was she supposed to deal with that without giving up to one side? She had beaten him at three of his games already, but somehow playing a game right now seemed completely unorthodox. Besides, looking at the Prince of Shadows, he didn't look playful at all. Actually, he looked somewhat hurt, but was hiding it with a stone-like expression. As if he was waiting for jenny to give in just to ease everything once and for all.

Jenny closed her eyes and gave in. "I need to be with my friends, Julian," she said very carefully. "I have to stop your Ancestors. If they get my friends-"

"Whenever you're away from me, you're completely vulnerable. Like a prize in the waiting," he said suddenly, very quick, very hard. "Do you expect me to let you linger in their grasp?" Abruptly, he was serious and glaring. "They almost had you last time. If I hadn't have grabbed you…" he let the threat trail off, letting it sink into Jenny's fears. "There's only so much I can do when it comes to them. You were always playing my games, that's why you were never in any real danger. If you get caught in their games, there's _nothing_ I can do. Same goes for your friends. If they get anywhere near my Ancestors, I can't-" He cut himself as the fury and desperation swept over his face, then disappeared.

That's when Jenny really felt it. It wasn't so much that Julian wanted her. Like back in the cave, how he expressed it so clearly. He _needed_ her. Light to darkness. Without it, he would just be….

But now here was the drastic realization. As the words failed from both of them, Julian turned away from her. It was such a horrible, heart-aching feeling when they realized it.

As much as he wanted her, as much as he _needed_ her, it was the painful truth that he would never have her. Never fully.

Even now, alone in a different scene like he always promised, with him as her only safety, he couldn't take her. Even if they stayed trapped together in the same room forever, it wouldn't be enough. It never would be.

Somehow, Jenny understood that suffocating feeling without any words. It was enough to hurt, and she was lost again, teetering on this mundane world with its pleasures, and reality with its consequences. That's when a strange thought occurred to her, like they always did with Julian.

"Do they…talk to you? When you're not around us, can you…."

"Of course," he said quietly again without bothering to face her again. "And they _threaten _you. I recoil, then turn around and you're in their grasp."

He looked at her after a moment of silence and there was a determined flame in his eyes, burning a deep coral blue under those snow white bangs. "I won't let them take you," he said after he approached her and cupped her face in his cool hands. "Even if I have to force you to stay here."

Jenny began a protest, but he stopped it with a kiss. Such a desperate kiss it was. There was this need inside them. A need for each other. A need for this-this place, this moment just to last forever without any consequences. Julian wasn't focused on it, but Jenny was, and it was enough to make her pull away.

She felt her knees giving in, but she supported herself with her hands on Julian's shoulders. He was pushing the hair out of her face, gazing at her so longingly. Jenny couldn't return his gaze. If she did….

Everything would be different. If she stayed, she would lose everything about herself. And so would Julian, and she knew, deep down, that the longing they both so suddenly desired would be broken just like that.

Yet, if she left, everything that had built up, the part that he had changed in her, part of herself would die with this moment.

And the fear of that was too much for Jenny to handle.

"You can have me," Jenny said in a soft whisper, "on _Earth_."

Julian's eyebrows pinched together in confusion, but his eyes were wide with interest now. Jenny tried to pull away completely, to keep her head clear, but somehow Julian had her cornered. When had he trapped her?

"I have to stop your Ancestors. My friends won't be able to do it alone. And I'm the one they want originally. If I'm only safe with you then…I'll go with you when you want, willingly, so long as you keep my friends safe."

Julian actually pulled away, the look of an intrigued dealer on his face. Jenny studied it and added, "Keep them safe until we throw off the other Shadow Men,….and you can have me."

Julian pondered on it for a moment, even tilted his head to the side. "Are you toying with-"

"No," Jenny said and assured him with a step closer. "I'm just… putting my bargaining chips on the table." That gave Julian his wolf-hungry smile back and, surprisingly, Jenny smiled back.

"And I can take you…whenever I want?"

Jenny hesitated. "As long as my friends are safe for the moment…and we aren't busy with setting up our trap."

Julian shook his head then. Jenny's shoulders slouched in dismal. "If we're working then I need to be with them. When they're safe, like at night or something…" Something flickered in Julian's gaze, a look a lion gets as he gazes at his very vulnerable prey, and something in Jenny shuddered. "And the quicker you help us, the faster you'll have me…"

Julian still made no move to draw up that door for her. He stood very still, very _close_, looking up every inch of her and trying to imagine her as completely his. Still, the doubt remained in his eyes. Maybe it was because last time she made such a promise, she had trapped him in his own game. Or maybe it was because they had both come to the terms that she would never be his, and yet, here she was, offering herself to him, even if it was just a part.

As Jenny hesitated upon how else to convince him, she thought of her friends and the last she saw them, in the store, with the older demons in her head.

Fear must induce honesty, she thought because she was speaking again without thinking. "I don't want them to get me…" her voice was very small, and it was such a weak thing to be admitting to the man that lingered on the line of lover and enemy, but Jenny couldn't help it.

Did it matter anyway? She was in another world with the Prince of Darkness. And he did say she wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

Something changed in Julian's expression and he stalked toward her. Still, he never touched her. Not yet. The trust wasn't there yet. It was still so impossible and the doubt lingered in the air.

Jenny didn't know what else to do to convince him. The last time she had to he had given her-

Silently she held out her hand and Julian caught on.

The cold touch of the ring surprised her, although she should've seen it coming. It was heavy on her finger, but she didn't even get the chance to look at it because Julian reeled her in from it. When she was completely against him, all her weight supported only by him, he kept her head tilted up, their lips lingering on contact.

"Then it's a deal."

He kissed her and her mind reeled. All she saw were stars and little bursts of light that flashed under her closed eyes when Julian changed the pressure of the kisses. When he pulled away so slowly, it left Jenny a little dazed. She didn't reopen her eyes until Julian had completely released her.

When she did, she was standing in the basement of her grandfather's house.

She took a minute to accept everything that just happened. Going from almost dying in one minute, to offering herself up to the one Shadow man that started it all… Yet there was a twinge of guilt inside of her; the bitter part that was going to betray almost everyone in a way.

She thought of Tom for a moment and inside her emotions battled on what the hell she was doing. But she had already started it, she slowly realized. The cruel decision she had made wasn't going to end happily like a fairy tale. She wasn't going to have to choose a side.

She wished she could apologize to everyone, even to Julian, to somehow explain why she was doing the things she was about to do. Yet, she knew she couldn't.

She had realized it in the store or maybe it was in Scotland. No matter who she chose, no matter what she did, she was going to die before she could give herself, or her friends, up to anyone….

**I hope this chapter's good because I struggled on Julian and Jenny's encounter so much. I just wanted it to be perfect and I'm not sure if it is or not but I never change anything when I go back through it. Advice is nice and please review X****J**

**Till my next update.**


	4. Turning a New Leaf

"What about the Greek?" Audrey questioned with interest in her eyes. "Their myths always had ways of diminishing evil-"

"Those revolved mainly around the Gods," Julian interrupted. "The power of the Gods is nothing like ours. But the tricks in those powers are very similar. Punish the man for selfish beauty by turning him into a flower by his own reflection. "

"Then the Latin," Dee butted in. "Or the Arabic. There are plenty of charms down there like that."

"True," Julian countered again. "But most of those require human _sacrificial _ceremonies, and I'm sure most of you would desire to keep your limbs as well as your lives."

Michael sat up, jumping in. "What about the charms, then? The ones in the basement. They're like, um…"

"Egyptian," Jenny finished for him. "My grandfather had plenty of those on that bookcase. A lot of them resembled the runes." She met Julian's gaze a little uneasily. "Will those be strong enough?"

Julian didn't answer her right away like he did to the others. From across the room he merely smiled at her for a moment, as if taking her presence all in at once was pleasantly overwhelming for him. He was leaned against the arch to the hallway, arms and ankles crossed, frost-white bangs hanging in his eyes. "Possibly," he said very smoothly after a pause. "The Egyptian culture did meddle in the Underworld. Natural they would pick up on the powers as any human would."

They were all gathered in the living room. After Jenny had woken them all up, somehow this conversation had started. Although, it was a very odd conversation. It wasn't normal. It wasn't like a debate. It was like an argument of some kind. A willing argument, that was going to benefit everyone in the end. As queer and tense as it was, because it was with Julian, they all were sitting through it.

Michael, Zach and Dee were on the couch. Summer was on the floor under Dee getting her long blonde curls put into two perfect braids. Audrey was in the farthest corner, taking heatedly on the phone. Tom was standing on the other side of the couch, and Jenny was parallel to him across the room. She sat on the end table, away from all the others, but away from Julian as well. The Prince of Shadows stood parallel to her from the other corner of the room, much closer than Tom.

The coffee table was cluttered with papers, books, and empty snack wrappers. Seeing them made Jenny's stomach turn with emptiness, but she ignored it. They had already run out of time and options. If they didn't send a phone call home soon, they would be scheduled as runaways and have their faces on billboards. Besides that, they were completely out of food and money. Audrey was currently calling daddy, asking him nicely to raise her credit card so they could buy some food. But judging by the sour tone she had, the conversation wasn't going well.

Jenny didn't blame them. Actually, she blamed herself. As much as her friends were keeping themselves together. Summer with her hair and Zach playing with a small traveling camera, it wasn't enough. She knew they were as wore down as she was.

Because of her.

She was tired. With the lack of food, information, and sleep, and not to mention the fact that she almost died a few hours ago. She hadn't slept since she woke up in the car. But she was too afraid to go to sleep now. She was too afraid of the Shadow Men getting in her head again. She didn't want to wake up in some dark place-

Her head bobbed and she jolted back awake, realizing she had been dozing off. Embarrassed, she wiped her face and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't sleep. Not when they were close to some sort of break through.

"So…what?" She asked tiredly. "We take a hammer and carve some Egyptian hieroglyphics on it?"

"We won't even know if it'll work," Dee said.

Michael shrugged. "We could test it."

There was an awkward tension in the air as the attention turned on Julian. However, his smirk never failed.

"I'll test it," Tom said a little heatedly. "Someone give me something, and I'll hit him with it-"

"Physically tactics are useless," Julian said tightly, his eyes shining bright with amusement. "If you haven't learned that by now. I wouldn't bother trying."

When Tom moved closer, Jenny jumped up, moving between them before the two could collide. "Julian's right," She said, and the words tasted weird on her tongue. "We can't hope for some type of fight. We have to trap them. Quickly."

The tension didn't ease up. If anything, it only increased. Seeing Jenny stand in front Julian must've hurt Tom because something recoiled in his eyes. That's when Jenny quickly hid her hand. If he saw the ring-

"Like a bear trap?"

It was Summer who spoke up, but the voice was fragile it made everything in Jenny shatter. God, she couldn't even focus she was so tired.

Yet, something clicked in her head, picturing some kind of enlarged bear trap with protection charms written on it-

Maybe not made of metal but runes-and blood, and the centerpiece was Jenny-

She spun on her heels, facing Julian instantly. "Could that work?" She asked and watched his eyelids droop. "If we set up something…like a bear trap out of runes. Like, something that will trap them the second they try to grab me?"

Julian studied her very carefully. "If you are stuck in the middle, the runes-"

"Then pull me out," Jenny said quickly. She wasn't sure if it made sense, but to her tired mind it did. "If we set it up right, and time it just right, could you be able to pull me out as we trap them?"

Something crossed Julian's mind. A suspicion, a thought, a risk, maybe, but Jenny couldn't figure it out. Her eyes were dry and she was afraid of falling asleep before he could answer.

"No."

Jenny was so tired she thought Julian was the one to answer her. Yet, Tom came up and spun her around, finishing, "There's no way we're using you as bait."

"I already am," Jenny argued.

"That doesn't mean we're going to risk it! We're trying to keep you away from them remember?"

Jenny sighed and rubbed her eyes. "We have to trap them somehow, and I'm the one they want-"

"I don't care." Tom cut her off. "Even if it could work, if he slips up then you're history and I'm not trusting your life in his hands. That's the end of it."

He walked away then, and something in Jenny just burned. To order her around like that, even if it was out of consideration for her life, after how rude he had been acting lately-

"I think I'll decide who to trust my life with," Jenny snapped. "And if we are messing with the runes I'd rather have someone who invented them helping us then working blind."

Tom turned on her but Jenny didn't look at him. "And _that's_ the end of it."

In the silence, Jenny hated herself. She hated fighting with him. But she hated this dispute repeating itself over and over. She was _tired _of it. She was stuck in the middle, and she didn't know which way to turn when her only options were Julian or Tom.

"I'm hungry…"

Jenny desperately found Summer, with her braided pigtails making her look even more like a child. Right, back to reality. No food. No money.

Jenny's stomach made an odd noise.

Great. Now she was tired _and_ hungry.

Audrey came back to the circle, hanging up her phone with a frustrated huff. "He's not giving me anything. He's _pissed_ at me. He was about to track my cell to find out where I was." She gave everyone a disappointed glance. "Sorry, guys."

Jenny tried to breathe easier. "It's not your fault. We'll…have to figure something out."

As they began to discuss what to do next, there was a sudden ring at the door. Immediate fear filled Jenny. No one was supposed to live here. No one knew they were here. Tom was going first, but Jenny beat him to it. There was no peep hole. No windows to peek out. Whatever was behind the door…

Dee was right beside her. "Monster positions," she said with a smirk.

Jenny braced herself as Dee did. They counted together, and ripped open the door. To their surprise, it was just a boy.

A young teenager with a delivery hat on and a very confused face. Embarrassed even further, Jenny apologized. The boy just shrugged. "It's whatever. Here."

He practically shoved the pizza into Jenny's hands. "What-Oh, no, there must be some kind of a mistake."

"No, someone ordered the daily special. A huge one, in fact. Pizza, wings, side snacks, and dessert. But since I'm a half hour late, it's all on the house. That's our guarantee."

Too tired to understand, Jenny tried to argue. "I think you're at the wrong house."

The boy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm already in enough trouble." Even though Jenny tried to pursued him, he tipped his hat, giving a very odd but familiar smirk, and left.

Shocked, Jenny shut the door, balancing all the food in her hands before Michael came and grabbed it. "That was weird."

"Who cares? Free food!" He dispersed the sections of food across the coffee table, ignoring the papers and everything else.

Although Jenny couldn't shake the weirdest feeling, she couldn't help but love the smell of the food. She took a slice of the pizza which had enough toppings to look like one of Zach's crazy art pieces. Someone said something similar and they all had a good laugh.

But it was very odd, Jenny realized even after she finished eating. The feeling she had, very familiar and so nice, like one of their old parties, but so odd…. Maybe it was because Julian was still in the room, but whatever she was feeling….

She was probably just _really _tired.

Yet, as she watched her friends relax for once and smile like they weren't fighting for their lives, she felt.. Normal.

"Jenny."

He called her so casually that she thought nothing of it at first. But as she looked to Julian standing in the archway of the hall, holding his hand out to her, waiting for her like a King would to his Queen-

The cold ring burned on her finger and she suddenly remembered her promise. That's right. They weren't working anymore. They were relaxing. And for the moment, they were safe. And she did say that when they were free and safe….

Heat flushed to her face, but she blamed it on the lack of sleep and silently approached him. She prayed no one would question it. Then again, if she just suddenly disappeared, who knows what they would assume.

But out of all of them, it had to be to Tom that noticed.

"Where are you going?"

Jenny stopped before Julian. She didn't take his hand. At least not yet.

She faced them again. Most of her friends were still indulging in the food, like Michael, Dee, and Summer. But Tom and Zach were completely looking at her, while Audrey was stuck somewhere in the middle.

_God, what do I say?_

"I need to talk to him," she said a little tensely. "He won't tell me everything in front of you guys."

"But-"

"Tom, just-Trust me."

She didn't wait for an argument or any type of refusal. She grabbed Julian's hand and allowed him to pull her away. If only he had done it quicker. She knew he was savoring the look on Tom's face as he whisked Jenny away for himself.

Jenny didn't really know what to expect, being pulled away by a very old, very wise, very beautiful demon. Whatever she would guess he would do-throw her into the Shadow World, a World of his own, back into the paper house-the last thing she saw coming was Julian bringing her to one of the spare bedrooms down the hall.

Something jumped inside Jenny, but she refused to show it. Especially when Julian's gaze was darted to the side, watching her every move as he led her to the door. Jenny was going to walk inside first, to keep her end of the bargain even if it was just for the time being, but Julian's hand beat her to it. He opened the door for her like some kind of gentleman would, revealing Jenny to a bedroom-

-just not the bedroom she was expecting.

The walls were beige. The carpet was a soft blue. The dresser in the corner was a mess, covered in clothes that no one knew if they were clean or dirty and springtime decorative baskets. The bed in the center was as Jenny had last seen it, the covers fluffy and exotic with the blue, gold, and pink Ralph Lauren design, with the lamp shining far more brightly than Jenny was used to.

Her old bedroom. Jesus, the last time she had slept safely in that…. That was back before Julian's second game, and it wasn't even a good night's sleep. Seeing such a familiar, comfortable scene reminded Jenny of how heavy her eyelids were. She felt like she had just finished running a marathon after a long, hard day at school and was trudging into her room to pass out. But the clicking of the door shutting behind her, reminding her exactly where she was, who she was with, what position she was in, made her keep her eyes open.

She had a light smile on her lips as she walked by her bed, tracing her hand over the frame piece at the end. The wood was cold, as if it were real. She knew it was just an illusion, though. Or well, she had to guess, since he had recreated Dee's bedroom to the last detail back in the first game. But he had even gotten the flowers on the windowsill right, even though nothing was visible through the glass. Jenny would've said something about it, but Julian wasn't saying anything. He probably already knew what she was thinking anyway. Wasn't he in her head?

She really needed to stop thinking.

Jenny's gaze got caught on something familiar, so she moved over to the pictures hanging on the wall. One was of her and Zach when they were younger. Another was her swimming with Summer while Audrey tanned behind them. They were comforting, knowing they were safe for the mean time. It made her feel a little less anxious, until she saw one more picture. One of her and Tom at their first dance together.

Jenny quickly turned away.

As she approached the bed, feeling the weight getting painful in her feet, she finally noticed that Julian was merely standing at the door, arms crossed, leaned back against the wood. She was too afraid to look at him. She didn't want anything…._odd_ to happen, as they always did when she was alone with Julian. Yet, he wasn't even trying to move toward her. He was just watching her, judging her reactions.

Finally, he spoke. It was so sudden and so foreign that Jenny wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she hallucinated for a moment. "The food wasn't for your friends, by the way."

It took Jenny a second to comprehend, and when she did, she looked at him. His eyes, however, were turned away. And the look he had on his face, like a child being stubborn…. She had seen it somewhere before. With…Summer. That's right. After he returned Summer and refused to admit it. To refuse he had did something kind.

He didn't say anything more, probably because it was obvious. The fact that he was suddenly bashful, the fact that he was so stubborn when he was usually so playful, like the delivery boy's smile-

"You sent it…." she said, a little quietly. Julian didn't respond. Instead his gaze flickered back over to her with tight, obstinate blue eyes. Jenny was flustered by it at first, but then she was choking down a small giggle. She couldn't thank him. He wouldn't be able to accept such a thing. Last time when she had, when she had forced him to admit that he had done something kind, that he was different, he had completely pulled away from her. She couldn't have that this time.

Somewhere along the road Jenny had learned how to deal with Julian a little better. Maybe it was during the third game when they had…connected, in a way. That dealing with him would never be easy or normal or even boring. It was always a game, sometimes complicated and sometimes easy. She couldn't treat him like a normal person because he _wasn't_ normal. She was going to have to treat him like he was.

Instead of thanking him, she was going to find an equilibrium.

"Sorry," she said slowly. "I guess I… was forced into sharing."

She turned her back to him then and sat down on her bed. She didn't know if she was just _really_ tired or not, but the cushion of the covers was exactly like her real bed. Same softness, same texture. It was enough to make her close her eyes and relax for a second, then opening them in fear of falling asleep.

Then again, was that such a bad thing? A part of her questioned it thoroughly. She shouldn't be vulnerable in front of him. He wanted to steal her. He was _evil_.

But he just proved otherwise, if but a little. He was just…selfish in a way. Stealing her for his own for the meanwhile, keeping her _and_ her friends safe. Just…in his own way. In his own grasp.

Jenny felt her head drop again and she quickly tried to hide it again. Especially when she felt the bed sink in behind her under Julian's weight. She tucked up her legs onto the bed to relieve some of the throbbing in her feet, and began an attempt at fixing her mess of a hair.

She was thinking too much. It was only adding to the exhaustion. She shouldn't be over thinking things. She should just try and figure out how to bypass this situation.

What was she supposed to do? Sitting in a probably locked room with the Prince of Shadows, with the permission to touch most of her, with her _willingly_ as his.

Last time they were alone like this, with her promised to him in a room of his making, they had made out, embraced, then she locked him up.

Jenny couldn't turn around. With the room, the delivery boy, with Julian so stubborn but so close to her-

God, what was she _doing_?

Before she could over think anymore, the cold touch on her cheek surprised her. She couldn't even gather what was happening until it was too late.

The touch came from an awkward angle, on her left cheek even though Julian was to her right. The hand completely caressed her face and tugged her back. With the way she was sitting, leaning on the bed with her legs up, her weight completely dropped her onto the bed. The next thing she knew, she was laying against Julian. Her face was in the crook of his neck, her hands upon his chest, her body curled up against his side, her legs tucked against his own. It was utterly surprising, but surprisingly comfortable. His warmth, even after he draped his arm-the one he had used to drag her down-across her shoulders, was like the perfect drug. It dragged her into sleep faster than she could comprehend.

_Oh, God. Wait, no…. I can't. He'll…Wake up. I can't…._

There was one more frantic thought, one that was full of doubt, regret, and guilt, before her body went limp and she surrendered to the darkness as sleep took her over.

Julian allowed her to sleep, too. It was the main reason he brought her here anyway after seeing how exhausted she was. It was obvious, at least to him. To see her skin so pale, her forest green eyes so irritated and distant; she didn't give off her usual shine.

He allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder as he sat against the headboard. She was leaning completely against him, her body limp with fatigue, her face soft with sleep, and he used the chance to run his fingers gently through her honey hair.

Absolutely stunning….

She was so special like this; so fragile under his very touch, like a precious gem that he wanted to preserve-

No, he **needed** to preserve her.

No one could see the shine she gave off like he did. No one saw her strength, her courage. God, just thinking about it made Julian want to whisk her away this instant since she was here in his arms entirely at his mercy. Yet, he knew he couldn't. This gem was far too fragile for that. She would break too easily under the force. No, he needed to coax her little by little. He learned during the third game. She was too strong-too fierce to be taken by force.

But, he had exposed the wild side of her and now she was conscious of it. It would have to happen eventually. He could feel the desire building inside her. She was just refusing to let it surface completely. So he was going to take his time. Besides, getting the small chances like this, seeing Jenny's gentle sleeping face, able to keep her safe and satisfied even in her dreams, was more than he was expecting.

Plus, stealing her away from Tommy was just too delicious.

So he sat there, combing her hair and stroking her cheek for the few hours that she rested, allowing her to shift closer when she moved in her sleep.

Oh, yes. This is what he always wanted to taste.

And how _bitter-sweet_ it was.

Yet, as long as the moment had lasted, it faded far too quickly. The atmosphere changed, the air growing colder, denser. The lights flickered and Julian immediately scowled. He could feel the others fear growing from next door. Even though a threshold of magic stood between them, preventing the most worried Tommy from getting through, Julian could hear them scurrying about like a pack of rats, starting to panic and run about.

Although their fear was amusing, Julian wasn't pleased by his Ancestors' presence, especially when their laughter drifted toward him.

_Foolish boy._

_Acting like a human._

_We'll treat you like one-_

_Torture you-_

_Torture her._

Julian gazed down at Jenny, hardly phased. He could feel their energy, their power, trying to get to her, to invade her dreams and stoke her with fear, and he quickly stopped it with a gentle hand on her head. He didn't bother to respond to them. They couldn't hurt her here. Not _fully_ anyway. Not when he was there.

_Do you think she loves you?_

_A monster._

_It'll never be._

_Foolish boy._

_Just hand her over._

_We have the __**right**_-

Julian tried to force them away, but he wasn't that strong. He could only delay them, and drag their prey away when they tried to snatch them. But their laughter was like striking the wrong chord inside him; hitting the one and only small spot he had; the tiny spot very, very deep inside him that held a little weakness, a little emotion, and even a little fear.

_She took our prey._

_You know the laws._

_And you still interfered._

_You toyed with me_, Julian snapped back without ever really speaking.

_We should have killed you for betraying us._

_We'd rather kill her._

_She seems very enjoyable._

_Very delicious._

The Prince of Shadows did his best to ignore their taunts. He was used to them; he knew how to be that cruel-

But not when it came to Jenny.

_You could just give us the boy._

_We'll take him._

_A life for a life._

Julian actually had to control himself. If he gave them Tom, then all of this would be settled. They would stop chasing Jenny, and his love would permanently forever be his. _Finally_ his.

Yet, he could see through his Ancestors taunting. They were against him as much as humans in general. They wanted a soul to play with and injure him in the process without killing him, because that was no fun. They wanted Jenny against him. They wanted to win.

Looking down at Jenny, the thought made him furious. God, he wanted to be cruel. He wanted _her_.

But he just….just couldn't.

_You should've killed me when you had the chance._ To that, his Ancestors only laughed. The lights flickered again.

_Give her to us._

_No._

_Our right_-

_You didn't even say please._

_**We can unmake you**_, the words came in a very cruel hiss, one that rocked something inside Julian. It brought the threats very fresh to his mind, the risks, the consequences. Yet, the slender fingers on his chest tightened, curling into a distressed fist. Jenny was shifting again, her perfect eyebrows slightly pinched together as she mumbled non-sense from her subconscious.

"Tom…"

Something inside Julian-that tiny spot of feeling-pinched.

His entire being-his cruelty-his actions-everything he did, everything he _was_-

For her….

"You can carve my name out," Julian said aloud, very slow, very softly. He pushed the golden bangs out of Jenny's face, watching her face slowly relax back into the depths of sleep. "Or rather, throw me back into limbo. Have your fun with me, but understand this." He looked up to the shadows, easily seeing into the sets of eyes of his Ancestors as if they were right before him. "She was _my_ prey first. Always was. I will be the only one to toy with her. You will _never_ have her."

Surprisingly, they laughed at him. It was a very cold, very long, mocking laugh.

_You plan to win her over?_

_How mortal you have become._

_She'll never surrender to a monster._

_She won't play your games._

_She fall into ours._

_Always ours._

_We're hungry, boy._

_We will have her._

_And you will hand her over to us._

_Soon._

_Or we'll kill them all._

Their threats continued, but Julian easily choked down that small exposure of feeling back into the deepest part of him, never to be re-surfaced. Slowly, he sat up and gazed over Jenny one more time until the laughter completely faded away. He could still feel the rats scampering about in fret of the trembling ground and upcoming darkness. But Julian knew there was no real threat. At least, not to them.

With a deep breath, he cupped Jenny's face until her head was tilted toward him and he leaned down.

"You're going to have to let me in soon, Jenny. Let me be your power. Your safety… _Please_, just…."

He ended whatever he was about to say-about to expose-with a gentle kiss on her forehead, then shook her shoulder.

"Jenny. Come on, Jenny. Wake up. Ahh, yes. There you go. Shh, shh, you're all right…."

She came through completely dazed, barely registering who exactly it was that was calling her. The shock and fear on her face in that split second that she lifted her head from his shoulder was more pleasing than Tommy's earlier expression.

Jenny sat up fast and rubbed her face to wake up. "Oh, God… What? What is it?"

She was in mid-yawn when Julian got lost. It was just for a second, just like the very first time he saw her. Her beauty, her presence, her innocence had him star struck. With her hair tangled and covering her face, like loose strands of freshly woven gold, with her gentle features slowly being reopened, even just the way she stretched while barely moving, flexing such flawless skin.

There it was again. That shine…

And it was currently being threatened away from him.

She was looking at him now, the anxiety in her eyes, but the boldness clearly on her half-asleep face. He reached for her and she didn't move. He pushed the loose strands from her face, the electricity from his fingertip barely brushing her skin bringing her to full consciousness. As she judged the look in his eyes, as she judged his actions, Julian blankly sat back against the headboard, arms stretched over it like a bachelor at his pad. He motioned his head for the door.

"Your friends are calling."

His tone was a little cold. Jenny didn't know how to judge it.

She took the words in, then glanced at the door. She stood, fixed her clothes, but didn't completely approach the door.

Was this their deal? He didn't even do anything. What that all?

Jenny clearly fought the feeling of disappointment as she hesitated, but solidly charged through the door without looking back.

Julian could read her so easily. Her hesitation, her uncertainty, her _fear_. How she battled it so easily, how she had yet to defeat it completely. It was what made her so strong.

And so distant.

Even in his arms, she was still so far away. Even if she was drifting closer, it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

The lights flickered and rage boiled up inside Julian. Yet, a twinge of feeling struck him silent as the laughter echoed around him.

_Foolish boy…._

**This one isn't as long as the others but I needed to settle the balance from Julian's side. I hope I didn't mess anything up or disappoint you guys. I like the struggle of action and passion within every chapter. I hope next chapter knocks your socks off, and as payment I'll make the next chapter VERY long ;) any suggestions or advice is gladly accepted and please review x)**** till my next update.**


	5. One step forward, five steps back

When Jenny came through the door, her friends were up, watching the flickering lights. Tom was in front, the gun in his hand.

"Jesus," he breathed and lowered the gun. "Where were you?"

Jenny didn't bother to answer. She ran up to them, checking for any frost or blood or anything. She looked around the room until the lights stopped. "What happened-"

"Where were you?"

"In the other room! God, I was right there."

"We looked for you," Tom said quickly. "In every room. You weren't there."

Confused, Jenny looked to Dee who was closest to Tom. "It's true, Sunshine. We panicked."

"I thought they took you," Tom stressed. She knew that worry in his eyes, but for some reason it was darker than normal. Not with concern, but….accusation.

"I'm sorry," She said to ease the tension. "I didn't… I'm fine, though. Really. Everything's fine-"

"What happened?" It was Zach who cut her off, an odd tightness in his tone.

Jenny tried to think clearly. "Um…He…Julian, he took me into some room. We were talking….and we didn't get anywhere. How long was I gone?" She tried to change the subject without giving away the smallest, most important detail.

"A few hours," Michael mumbled.

Tom pestered further. "What do you mean you didn't get anywhere? What were you doing?"

Jenny was too tired to fight. "Nothing," she said tightly.

"But he could've taken you-"

"He swore, all right? Look, we talked. He didn't have any answers. And he brought me back as soon as this happened-What _even_ happened?"

One by one they looked at each other, the uncertainty and fear settling into their faces.

"They were laughing," Summer spoke very quietly. "We heard them…."

Jenny was back now, forcing herself to be stronger and wiser to keep her friends from being scared-to keep them alive. Whatever happened a few hours ago, almost dying, sleeping in the same bed as the very Shadow Man that started this, she pushed it aside. They were alive right now, and she was going to keep it that way.

Yet, Tom was countering her. "I don't care if he gave you some ancient blood oath. It's his fault all of this is happening,. He doesn't-"

"Stop!" Jenny snapped. "Just stop. It's my fault, okay? I chose to go with him. I chose to fall asleep. I chose to play everything. I chose to release my grandfather. It's _my_ fault that they're after _me_. And it's my fault I didn't do anything sooner…."

The surprise registered on all their faces. It reminded Jenny of how all of them were willing to die for her that day. How they were all so strong and brave…And yet, they all ran away in the end, because Julian stepped in front of them. She wasn't strong enough to stop them then. She wasn't strong enough to stop them now….

The pain must've shown in Jenny's eyes because Audrey was reaching for her. "Oh, Jenny…."

But Jenny moved away. "I'm sorry…. But I'm doing everything I can. They won't take any of us."

There was an odd silence in the air as the lights flashed a few more times, then returned to normal. Jenny breathed a bit easier, but her shoulders hunched when Tom still held the gun in his hand. It made her uneasy. It reminded her back in Julian's second game when they had drifted so far apart, when Tom only held onto his hunting gun. And had left on his own to kill the creeper and lurker.

"Will you put that away? Please."

Tom only glanced at it. "I killed those things once before-"

"Those were Julian's tricks. I doubt a bullet will hurt thousand year old demons-"

"What else do you expect me to do?"

Somehow the hypocrisy lit an angry spark in Jenny. "Fine, whatever. Let's just…get back to work, okay?"

They were all moving to sit down when Michael spoke up shyly. "Maybe we could carve into the bullets. That...killing rune? That way we test it out if anything happens."

Tom turned to look at him, his eyes opening wide with agreement, but Jenny broke up the bubbling thought. For some reason it made her gut tighten. She approached Tom, saying, "No. I don't want anything to happen. They can make us see things. I don't want anyone getting accidentally shot, thinking they were shooting the-"

Amid her words, Jenny reached for Tom's shoulder, but the second she touched him he reeled away; Shrugged her off and stepped back. It was such a rude, upsetting gesture that it caused the room to fall silent. He looked a little startled, then ashamed, but said nothing.

Someone gasped, or maybe it was Jenny. She wasn't really sure, but she knew that look in his eyes. The look that said he didn't deserve her. But after everything they went through, everything they talked about-

The shock and hurt slowly settled into Jenny's face until her expression turned into still water. She took a deep breath and turned away. "No guns," she said, but her voice had failed her. She sounded like a small child and she instantly hated it. She walked to the opposite end of the couch, but she was the only one moving. Summer had her hands over her mouth. Zach was staring at Tom. Dee grabbed Jenny's hand, but Jenny couldn't even look at her. There was nothing she could do about it.

But this-their lives, she could do something about.

"The Egyptians," she said, stronger this time. "Right, Michael? That's what my grandfather wrote a lot about…."

He took his time responding, the moment awkwardly sinking in until Audrey elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! Uh, yeah. It's in a lot of, uh…his sketches, too."

"Then everyone pick up a book or something and find everything on the Egyptians." She picked up a pile of papers and scanned until she found something. Eventually Tom put the gun down and one by one they joined her.

They used the markings as a guide for the rest of the books. The search lasted for a good couple of hours, like every other time it had. They nibbled on leftover cookies and pizza and took turns napping. Summer fell asleep on Dee who was trying to connect the runes with any of the Egyptian carvings they had found. Zach was examining the sketches with Michael, while Tom started making a list of ideas with their findings.

The cycle turned again where Zach and Dee had fallen asleep. Tom was keeping a note of everything together, of what was useful and useless, and what belonged with what. Jenny was still re-reading her grandfather's journals for what felt like the hundredth time. They were practically at the end of their researching with their given materials before Audrey brought out an encyclopedia and read any information about the Egyptian's rituals or ceremonies.

Apparently everything they did revolved around the sun. Their time, their work, their love, their death. They had many different carvings, different practices, too many to keep track of. So Jenny ripped out a blank page in her grandfather's journal and started taking notes. She was writing faster than Michael could flip the pages and Audrey eventually had to begin reading aloud.

"Ra, or Atum-Ra, was the primal symbol of light, warmth, and growth. The Sun God. The meaning of this name was uncertain, but it has shown the name has been used as terms for 'creative power' or creator.'" She looked to jenny. "What the hell does that mean?" Jenny could only shrug.

Michael pointed at something. "Listen to this. 'In later dynastic times, the god Ra was merged with the god Horus. He was believed to rule in all parts of the universe, including the sky, the Earth, and the Universe.'"

Tom knelt closer from the other side of the table, finally joining in. "Well, that's gotta be important, right?"

Tired, Jenny pulled the hair back out of her face with a sigh. Yet, the second she began to put it in a ponytail, she let it fall and spread out along her back. She wasn't sure why, but it just felt better.

"I don't know," she responded. "They have the creator or the powers of the sun, or Sun God, but rule in the underworld?"

"It said they did a lot of sacrifices and stuff like that. So they could've have been meddling with 'the dark side', in a way."

Jenny reached over and skipped to a page that was tilted "Ra in the underworld." All in all, it described how every day was like a boat ride in the light, creating man and other living things with its power, and had to battle the darkness when night came.

"Apophis, the god of Chaos, was seen as a _giant serpent _bent to destroy the boat before it could finish its journey. Thus the rising of the sun was seen as the rebirth of Ra…."

_The Creeper_, she thought a little shyly, knowing her friends were thinking of it, too. Sadly, she took a deep breath and laid back. How long had it been? She was already tired. "This isn't helping."

"Yes, it is," Dee argued. She came walking up, rubbing sleep from her eyes and stood like a warrior before them all. "We're finding some connections, right? Light and Dark."

"Yeah," Michael agreed. "They were using their light to fight the dark. That's what we need to do, right?"

Tom added, "But we're not sacrificing any bulls any time soon."

Summer made a face of disgust from the chair and shook her head. "They did that? _Seriously_? That's gross!"

"Let's look back to the sketches." Dee was the one to whip them out while Audrey kept the book on her lap. Michael was nodding off, but refused to sleep, so he chugged some of the leftover soda instead. It was passed around then, since everyone could use the bit of sugar. When Tom passed it to Jenny, an awkward knot formed in her stomach as she accepted it.

"Maybe you should take a nap," he said, his tone sounding very wholesome. "You look exhausted."

Jenny shook her head and kept looking at her notes in her hands, or the encyclopedia, anything but his gaze. "I'm fine. Anyone else can, but-"

"You can't stay up forever."

"I said I'm-"

He had begun to say something else, but something caught Jenny's eye, pulling her away from the forming argument. She slapped her hand on the book before Audrey could turn the page. "Wait, what is that?"

She moved closer and pulled the book into her grasp. It was a picture of some ancient hieroglyphics, one next to a man, another next to a bird. One looked like a cross of some sort, another a squiggly line, another a straight horizontal one.

Audrey studied them. "Um…Ankh, the sign of eternal life. Usually given as a sign against the lips, for the breath of life on their travel to the underworld. Djew, it's supposed to be like a mountain or range or something. The Egyptians believed it held the passageway to heaven or whatever. Oh, and Amenta, the-" her eyes widened and she lifted her gaze, a rush of familiarity coming back to her from her childhood years. "The symbol for the Land of the Dead, the Underworld."

Jenny was on her feet. She brought the book with her, then scrambled for a paper that held a sketch of the runes and easily compared them. Why hadn't she seen it before? The resemblance knocked her off her feet. She was stumbling, toward the hall.

Tom grabbed her hand. But before he could question anything, before he could argue with her that she shouldn't go off alone, she snatched the handgun from the table, and took off. Her friends shouted at her, but she charged into the basement, racing down the stairs and almost falling twice. She knew now, doing something so reckless, she would get what she deserved if she went running straight into the Shadow Men's hands. But her feet were moving faster than Michael's fingers during a video game. She stopped at the bookshelf, out of breath and trembling. The adrenaline was rushing through her veins with discovery, with _fear_.

Familiarity, memories, things she probably never would've remembered if she hadn't have seen them so many times.

She started digging around the sculptures, the boxes, the charms. She jumped to the next bookcase, knocking things over and dropping things. By the time the others had followed her, she had found it. It was just a small trophy, a dull golden figure of a half-naked man with a square head and a spear. It looked like the man from the encyclopedia, the Sun God, Atum-Ra. But that wasn't the only thing Jenny was panicking about. It was the carving on his body, the one of the cross-like symbol. The symbol of life.

"Oh my God," she breathed.

Tom was beside her, taking the gun and trying to make the connecting of the book and the figure. "What? What is it?"

"He knew," she said quietly, looking around the room. "My grandfather knew. He figured it out before we did." She gave Tom the gun and Audrey the figure and pointed out the symbols to the others. "He knew. They were like the runes. A-All of it. He _had_ to."

"What are you getting at?" Dee asked, but Jenny wasn't even thinking right.

She was looking back at the other symbols in the book, the ones that were sketched without any meaning. One was burning into the back of Jenny's mind. She poked at it about a million times. "I've seen this before… Where have I seen it before?" She looked around the room once more and tried to imagine like she was five again, wandering around and touching everything that she shouldn't. Peeking under the desk, behind the bookcase, around the door-

Door. The doors. Gateways. Portals. Bridges. Containment. Freedom.

Jenny raced back up the stairs, startling her friends even further.

"Jenny!"

"Jenny, stop!"

But she was still running. She ran all the way upstairs and down the hall into the small bedroom that she usually stayed in when she had visited. It seemed boring now and much smaller than she remembered, but she didn't care. She grabbed the door and inspected it like a bloodhound would to a tracking sample. She had to bend lower, to a five-year old's height, with a five year old's curiosity.

Finally she saw it, on the inside of the doorframe near the bottom. Carvings into the wood. Some illegible, others familiar. Sure enough, there it was. The odd marking from the book. Seeing it now, she remembered it all over her grandfather's journals.

She was bubbling with excitement now, or maybe it was relief. Relieved that she was finally getting somewhere. Her fingers traced over the marking and soon she saw the marking under it. The ghastly X marked in blood. Judging by the old markings and different stains, it had been used over and over. Looking at it now, she could clearly envision her grandfather tucking her into bed, then whispering as he closed the door.

So her grandfather had literally locked her in at night for safe keeping. Or to keep the danger out.

Tom, Zach, and Summer were the ones who had followed Jenny. They came running up where Jenny quickly explained to her best abilities. She ended with, "This symbol. Whatever it is, the Egyptians believed in it. This was their power. And my grandfather obviously knew what it meant."

"What, for protection?" Zach asked.

"I'm not sure, but it had to be strong. Strong enough to keep anything dangerous he was conjuring up away from us."

Tom was grabbing the book. "Does it explain the symbol anywhere?"

"I didn't see anything." Jenny traced the rune again as Tom flipped through the pages. Summer looked like a young child with her bright eyes glancing at the markings.

"Can we use them?" She asked.

Jenny cleared her throat. She needed to sound strong. She needed to **be** strong. "I hope so. My grandfather obviously did."

"Maybe we can use them on us." Tom began, "If they worked on doors, then they can work on people, right? Maybe if we have the markings on us, like a tattoo. If we have it on us, maybe they can't touch us."

It was such a wild thought, but it was actually sort of smart. If they could carve the symbols into a piece of wood or rock and make the magic work with a little blood, if they had it on them then they could probably never be touched. Jenny wasn't too sure about having the runes forever marked on her body, but if it kept her alive she would do anything.

A relieved breath came out in a half laugh. "God, Tom, that might work."

Tom seemed a little more in-tact then, like they were just getting over a small fight. That tiny flicker of light-of them. He kept looking for the marking with a small shrug. "I mean, I'm not down for a magical tattoo or anything, but…"

Summer cringed. "I don't want a tattoo. They hurt."

Jenny grabbed her hand. "It's only an idea, Summer. We're not even sure if it'll work, but I can run it by Jul-"

Immediately the air grew tenser and Tom seemed to take a step away from her. Not a big, physical step, but in his eyes. His entire being curled away from her in his eyes.

Jenny went to say something, to take it back, but the scream cut her off; such a sudden, horrified scream. It sounded like Audrey from down below, from the **basement**-

Tom instantly yanked out the gun, but Jenny was ahead of him, moving faster than her bare feet could handle. She came to a stop in the doorway, her eyes frantically at the door behind the bookcase-the one _they_ had first come out of.

But there was nothing. She turned and found Michael comforting Audrey across the room, and Dee boldly facing the bookcase. When she turned around, she was holding the statue-and the spider dangling off of it.

Jenny let out her breath, not realizing she had been holding it and stopped Tom from running her over.

"It _crawled_ on me," Audrey hissed.

Michael combed her hair down. "It's all right, my sweet. I'll protect you from even the gigantic spiders." Audrey rolled her eyes, but didn't refuse the calming kiss from him.

Jenny breathed easier and climbed back down to them. Once they all gathered, they did a completely new search. The bookcases had more objects than Jenny remembered. From headband-like things to stakes, rocks, wooden carvings, and more. They were picking everything up and trying to compare it to any of the markings and gathering anything that was written in her grandfather's journal.

To their surprise, they found a lot. Summer found a long silver bracelet with a very similar marking to the unnamed Egyptian one, which Tom found no explanation of in any of the books. Audrey found a chunk of wood carved to look like the Djew symbol with an odd hole in it.

"Looks like an old African necklace," Dee commented. "Aba used to have….a lot of ones like it…"

With a few more figures and arrow-head like rocks being picked off the shelves, Jenny finally went with Zach upstairs to get one of their bags. She dumped out the clothes from inside, throwing out only one change of clothes, Tom's jacket, and a rock-

The ebony stone made something in her jump. She hid it before Zach could see and piled the dirty clothes elsewhere. She couldn't remembered when she had last changed, or bathed. It was probably better not to question it. Yet, she could still hear the voice in her head.

"_Clothes you never imagined. A dress in every color for every hour of the day?"_

She couldn't. Not now. Not _ever_.

She quickly pushed it out of her mind and took the bag downstairs. They started to collect all the items that seemed worthy, then Jenny was throwing some in for emergencies. If her grandfather had collected these for protection, they should be of some use for the meantime. Yet, besides the rocks and jars, some of the objects looked a lot like _weapons_.

There was a small box full of tiny metal hooks and metal shavings, bent and shaped to look a lot like the runes. There was even a dagger-like object, a hand-sized pole with a jagged end and numerous carvings all over the handle, but the thing was so rusted and old that it broke apart as soon as Tom picked it up.

Soon Dee was squealing with glee. She jumped up, holding the object she just discovered in her hand. It was odd looking, like some type of handle with two jagged edges curving above it. Dee slipped it on her hand and gripped it tight, like some kind of double brass knuckles.

"Look at this!" She cocked her arm back and snapped a punch forward, then turned and kicked, and punched again like a true warrior. "Woo-hoo! Are these the right markings?"

Jenny took the object. The metal was cold but surprisingly comfortable when she put her hand through it. The markings were definitely familiar, but there were a lot more Egyptian writing than just the single markings. Trying to make sense of them all hurt Jenny's eyes. She felt exhausted again, forcing back a yawn. "It looks right. Where's the bag?"

But Dee was taking it back. "Ooh, if we could just hit one them in the face-with _this_. Just once. Ha! They'd leave us alone."

It was impractical, of course, but it managed a smile from them all. Even Michael added, "Yeah, right before they threw you into Limbo."

Dee scoffed and bounced the "brass knuckles" back and forth between her hands. "I'd still kick their butts. I'd fight till they killed me! Through their stupid games-" she kicked the air, "and their hallucinations-" she punched the air one more time before turning back to Jenny. "I'd always win."

Her confidence only made Jenny more exhausted. She took the "brass knuckles" and put them in the backpack with the other objects. It had gotten pretty heavy now. She was going to say something about it before a yawn cut her off.

"All right, that's enough of your stubbornness," Audrey said, taking the bag from her. "You're _exhausted_ and we can all tell. If you stay up all night you'll be so tired that you'll fall right into their hands."

Her words hurt, but they were true. Jenny couldn't even argue. Summer was tugging on Jenny's arm, her tired child eyes begging her to come up. Something tight snagged in Jenny's throat, something she knew but could never admit to her friends. "Fine," she said, her voice weak. "But let's all go upstairs. We've been at this for hours."

"I agree," Michael said, stretching as he stood. "And I'm hungry."

Jenny led the way back up, her arm around Summer's shoulder as they went to the couch. They agreed that Tom would stay up first and keep watch, the gun firmly in hand. But even with that, Jenny didn't feel safe. It wasn't just the gun or the fact that it was late and the darkness was everywhere-the darkness that could easily take them in their sleep-

It was _the_ sleep. Jenny was terrified of the nightmares returning. She could only sleep for so long, a handful of hours before the terror ripped through her heart and jolted her awake. It didn't sound like much aloud, but after having nightmares every night; every time you close your eyes you see your loved ones dying, horrible-unimaginable things happening to them, torturous things happening right before you with no way of stopping it. Even when you wake up and know it wasn't real, to be so frightened, to feel the pain as if it was real and knew that it very well could be at any moment-it made you constantly afraid. Jenny had gained a whole new perspective of the dark once she had met Julian, but his Ancestors had shown her a new fear to it. She couldn't sit in the dark for more than a few minutes without seeing something utterly terrifying and not knowing whether or not it was real.

Because of that, she didn't want to sleep. Even without nightmares, she wouldn't sleep well, not while knowing she could get taken at any moment. She hadn't slept well in for what felt like months, not since Julian had taken her-

She stopped thinking before some crazy thought or mad idea came to her mind. She fell asleep with Summer leaned on her shoulder and her gaze set on Tom across the room.

Jenny knew she was dreaming, but surprisingly, she wasn't afraid. Instead, she was curious, trying to understand everything as it happened around her. She was standing. Someone was talking behind her; her friends she realized. It was the other day, when they were all talking about the symbols, how she was standing, looking at Julian who stood smirking in the doorway. It was like Déjà vu, being in the same moment again with everything the same but different. Everything was muted, and Jenny's vision was solely focused on the Shadow man across the room. She had noticed him before back when this had really happened, when they were all talking, noticing how weird it was that he was involved in their conversation as if it were normal. Yet, it was different now, somehow. _He_ was different. But he was leaned against the wall, like before, that same old playful smirk, like before.

Jenny was trying so desperately to figure it out when something caught her eye. His hand, one that had fallen or moved just slightly; one was touching the frame of the doorway, one finger, tapping it just slightly, toward the bottom. Had he done that before? And what was he pointing at?

Jenny was muddled. It was like a silent riddle. He was just smiling and pointing, tapping the bottom of the frame, so low to the ground, to a five year old's height-

The symbols. The ones they were talking about. The one Jenny found on the doorframe-the frame he was touching-

Next she was in the basement. She knew everything without an explanation. She was higher now, staring at Julian as he stood before the bookcase. She was in the basement, halfway up the stairs, looking back into the room. Very familiar, déjà vu once more because it was the day after she rescued Julian, when she came down into the basement to interrogate him. But Jenny was confused now. Back in reality Julian was looking over his shoulder with such a bored expression-Now he was facing her, smirking so playfully, so _knowingly_.

She remembered now. He was playing with something on the shelf last time. What was it? She remembered him reaching for something….

She was caught in his presence again, noticing everything about him as if through new eyes. But she focused hard on his hand until she saw it. It came to her clearly now, how she thought nothing of him toying with something on the shelf a few days ago. But remembering it now, seeing him repeating the action now as if rubbing it in her face was like a shock of cold water to the face.

Julian was smiling at her while his fingers played with a statue; a statue of a half-naked man with a spear-the same statue that held the Egyptian symbol. The statue of Atum-Ra.

He knew. Julian knew all along. About the Egyptian symbols, the carvings on the door, the statue. Jenny had noticed his small motions before, but it didn't add up until now.

Now she was before him, stuck between him and the bookcase. She couldn't speak though. She never could do anything right in her own dreams. Julian didn't say anything now that he had her trapped, and Jenny had seemed to lose her senses. She couldn't remember how to speak or think clearly. It was as if looking into those mystical blue eyes brought her to a whole new world, one where she was utterly weak, but powerful at the same time.

As if knowing his hold on her, Julian only smiled and reached toward her. For a second Jenny thought he was going to touch her, maybe kiss her from how close they were, but he didn't. His reach went behind her, only bringing himself closer to Jenny. It was like watching everything in slow motion. He was almost touching her and strangely, Jenny wondered why he wasn't. Didn't he have permission? Didn't he want to? Did she _want_ him to?

Suddenly she was asking herself all the questions she had denied. About his touches. About his kisses. About **him**, and how she felt. Of course, it all sent her mind reeling. Of course it all effected her, but…

The air was hazy. Jenny couldn't keep track of anything. She hated this about her dreams, how everything moved before her like milky water, being able to see it but not clear enough to understand. Even now, she could picture Julian touching her or kissing her, so gently, so fiercely, but she didn't feel it. It was utterly bewildering to be stuck between these things, these feelings that she couldn't even name. Especially when Julian retracted his arm, and pulled something off the shelf.

It was a jar, a small clay jar with some weird lid… The details wouldn't come to Jenny, especially when Julian somehow pulled out a handful of some gray dust without removing the lid, then turned and blew it away. It formed a disgusting cloud beside them where Jenny saw the shadows moving, dancing within it. He could see a man, and the jar. He was running. There was some type of fear, Jenny knew without seeing, but the jar broke and he laughed. Then he was dead.

There was more, but for the life of her, Jenny couldn't figure it out. She looked to Julian confused, hoping he would explain in that teasing way he always did. Yet, he didn't say a word. Instead, he only put a finger to his lips and shushed her.

The entire time she had been entranced by his presence, but it was the shushing that got her now. It had gotten louder and more erratic, unlike a person's voice at all. It was like hissing, like a snake. No, not a snake. It was more violent, like-like-

Static.

She awoke slightly startled, but unafraid. It took her mind a minute to register, but she felt Summer's head leaning against her and she could see her grandfather's living room-clearly. Details were coming to her now. The room was bright and the light hurt her eyes, probably because it was almost noon. How long had she been asleep? She moved to find the rest of her friends awake and in the corner where Michael sat in the chair, fiddling with something.

Jenny sat up, after gently moving Summer off of her, and knew she was awake. Her body was heavy and her mind was dull with sleep. But she remembered something. Something Julian had just shown her, about a man and a jar…. But it couldn't form right in her head.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead."

The male voice surprised Jenny. That's usually what Tom said to her every morning. But when she looked up it was Michael who said it. From the side, Tom awkwardly noticed and looked away.

Jenny brushed it off by standing up and approaching her circle of friends. "What's going on?"

"Michael got it working." Dee said.

Jenny didn't understand until she saw the small radio in Michael's lap. The one they had found on her grandfather's desk in the beginning of the chase. She never would've figured her grandfather as the type to listen to music while he worked, especially as a sorcerer, but then again she never would've figured he had a closet full of demons either.

Right now Michael was fiddling with the tiny antenna and moving the knobs like it were an old video game. It was one of those very old radios, where one had to scan back forth to find something.

Audrey was sitting on the arm of the chair beside him, reading through some papers. "It doesn't count as working if it's spitting nothing but static."

_That's_ what Jenny heard in her dream. The static from the radio. She tried to get over it, but for some reason it was sticking out to her. Why was it so familiar? Oddly enough, she wanted to ask Julian.

In fact, she looked around for the shadow man. What the hell was that dream about? Just to rub it in that he knew before she did? To tell her that she was on the right track?

Part of her was furious at his games, and another was relieved. At least she _was_ on the right track.

"Hey, I almost had some classical rock going," Michael argued. "It helps to have music while your working. Statistics say it helps the brain function more in rhythm or whatever-"

"Where did you read that, Wikipedia?" Dee questioned, but Audrey broke the argument before it could start.

"Oh, don't start with him. He's delirious from staying up all night on watch-duty. **Which**, by the way, he got me up at three A.M to stay up with him."

Michael only gave her a goofy grin, then leaned over and kissed the back of her hand. "A fool for the Queen."

Something in Jenny flinched and she wasn't too sure if she was getting déjà vu again or maybe a bit of envy-

"Anyway, Jenny. We found something." It was Dee who gave her the book. "Your Grandfather said something about the symbols, back when making some type of portal."

"It's the same portal we drew to get into the Shadow World." Michael confirmed.

Tom and Zach gave a look of confusion, but Jenny didn't have time to explain. She was grabbing the book, looking through. She remembered now that Michael had been the one to read the symbols to her. He stopped after the runes ended, but there was little more writing. Jenny remembered now. Her grandfather talked about the power, about how simple it seemed to connect with it, something as simple as light. But that was just it. Light. They needed light to defeat the darkness.

But the entries stopped after that. Jenny didn't understand. He explained so much, so many notes, dates, times, symbols, names, then nothing. Like he had been cut off in the middle of his writing.

That was a disturbing thought.

Jenny looked around for the bag of items they had collected. Her grandfather was able to use light against the darkness, right? He was able to trap the Shadow Men successfully in his basement. He had to have something more powerful than them, if only for a moment, a minute, maybe an hour. It had to be just enough to overpower them, and take them down long enough to contain.

If he could do it with what he had, then all Jenny needed to do was find out what he used and how, and use it again, just like with the portal back in Julian's third game. She didn't want to capture them again, but she definitely wanted them off their tails. For good. And they were so close…

Jenny thought about asking Julian, but she had played through his games without his help. She could do it with his Ancestors, only this time her life was on the line, as well as her friends.

After a minute of reviewing the talk of ancient symbols, Jenny didn't feel any better. "My grandfather said the runes were the easiest to use. To connect with the other worlds."

"But he _did_ say he could connect with other magic, right?" It was Tom who pointed it out, coming closer to turn to a certain page. "See, he wrote something here and Audrey said it was very similar to hieroglyphics. So your grandfather knew it was possible-"

"-but used the runes instead." Jenny finished for him. "So what? We don't want to get into any of the other worlds."

"No, but….maybe he connected to their power-like the Egyptian's did. Maybe we can connect to it, too."

Jenny looked at her friends, but for some reason the light was brighter than it should've been. She was starting to get a headache. She rubbed her temples for a minute, then when she zoned back in her friends were staring at her.

"Does that sound good, Jenny?"

It took Jenny a second to realize she had missed the entire last half of the conversation, but for some reason she didn't want to make it a problem. "Yeah, sure." She said a little uneasily. He handed the book back to Tom, who was staring a little oddly, then went and sat back down with Summer, who started to stir awake.

"Hmm? What's happening?"

"We're trying to connect the symbols, Sunbunny," Michael said. "Audrey's got internet on her phone to get more info."

"Oh. Are there any more cookies left?"

Jenny watched her friends act like detectives, taking more and more objects over to Audrey to defer what else they meant. While Jenny sat at the table with her grandfather's journal and the encyclopedia. It wasn't long after that the mildness of static turned into an average stream of music. Michael cheered in glee while everyone else seemed to shake their heads with a grin.

Jenny didn't know how long she had been searching for when she found something. Her head was throbbing painfully now, but she did her best to ignore it. She found the symbol that she had recognized before, the one that wasn't explained in the encyclopedia, placed in a picture on the margin of the book. It was a small image of a large black snake towering over a man. In his hand was the spear, carved with the numerous symbols of their language, including the foreign one. They were so small that Jenny hadn't seen them before. The man didn't look afraid though, nor posed for a fight. He stood straight and normal against the snake that was as least ten feet tall. Above them was the symbol for Amenta, the underworld, while underneath was the symbol for Djew, the crossing between worlds.

The caption read: _Atum-Ra facing Apophis. It was said to be the final showdown of dark to light as Aphosis defeated Atum-Ra at night before he was reborn again at sunrise._

So her grandfather wanted to defeat all darkness? Or just take their power? Is that why he used the runes because they were so powerful? Instead of using these because it was more likely to die?

The confusion was only giving her a bigger headache. But her friends seemed to have more luck than she was having.

"So they used **these** symbols mostly for luck and harvest, and these ones for worship."

"We need the worship ones, then. Because that's how they got their powers. By worshipping the sun God."

"God, I feel like I'm in a cult or something."

Dee brought the list over to Jenny who was watching them all with squinted eyes. "Here. You ok?"

"Just a headache." Jenny took the paper. "We should find these on those objects, to see which ones we need. Maybe we can make some type of circle or something-like with the runes."

"I hope we don't have to build a pyramid," Michael added with a goofy grin as he turned the radio up a little louder. "Aw, man, I love this song!"

Summer had moved to fetched the bag for Jenny, but easily got lost. "Where is it?"

Jenny looked under the table where the bag had originally been. "Michael, where's the bag?"

"What?"

"You had it last."

"No, I didn't."

"Come on, man. Stop fooling around," Tom added.

"I'm not! I don't have it!"

Jenny didn't think too much on it. "Maybe we left it in the basement or something." She got up, gravity added ten more pounds to her headache, and moved over to the side table where a stack of papers was rested. "We can probably use this though. Audrey, can you look up this symbol for me? I want to see what comes up." She passed over the leather book, but kept the papers for herself. She was comparing what they and found already to the definitions. Apparently all the symbols they had found on the objects were only discovered with all royal blooded people. Pharaohs, their wives, servants, etc. The symbols were carved into everything they owned and specifically on their tombs when mummified and buried.

They uncovered all of this within the next hour or so, continuously changing spots and information, trying to add up all the clues. They had many ideas; a circle, the tattoos, combining the symbols, but none were set in stone.

Tom was in the middle of a sentence when they noticed it. First it was Michael, since he was closest to the radio, but slowly they all tuned in. Jenny was on her feet at the static-chorused music that had been abruptly cut off. The man's voice made something in her gut dropped, but she knew it wasn't the Shadow Men at work. Her fingertips tingled with numbness as she turned up the volume.

"This goes onto fourth day for the search of some local town teenagers. One which has gone missing before. The kids had told their parents they were going on a weekend camping trip up in the nearby Greenery Campgrounds, but there has been no further contact since prior four days. Police have searched the nearby area and have found no sign or evidence of the teenagers even passing through. Officers are considering this an accident and are searching the woods, or maybe a possible kidnapping. This group of kids consist of young Jenny Thorton, her cousin Zachary Taylor, and their friends Deidra Eliade, Summer Parker-Pearson, Audrey Myers, Michael Cohen, and Tom Locke. They were last seen in a blue 1973 Ford Truck, and a green 1990 Volkswagen bug…."

As the search broadcast went on to describe exactly what they looked like and the cars' license plates, Jenny faced her friends. Audrey was covering her mouth. Summer was pale. Zach had hung his head. Tom wouldn't stop staring at the radio.

It was silent for a long time.

"We have to call them-"

It was Summer who said it, but Dee cut her off. "There's no way we can. If they figure out where we are and what we're doing, we'll get thrown in the loony bin in a heartbeat."

Michael added, "Then we'd really be screwed."

"But we can't just sit here. They think we're dead!" Summer continued. Her eyes were wide, concerned like a child.

"But if anyone else gets involved we all will be!" Tom snapped. "We can't tell anyone. What have we been doing this whole time? Hiding. Running. We're so close to ending it. I know our parents are scared, but I'd rather scare them like this then lose them all together."

"He's right. We will go home," Dee added. "But first we have to finish this mess."

"But what if they come here?" Zach questioned. "What if, I don't know, they pick up something?"

Michael said, "Yeah. Cops are smart. They'll catch on, see where we were last time, and end up here-"

"They can't get involved!"

"But maybe our parents can help-"

"No, Summer, they didn't help at all last time. When you were missing they thought we were murderers. We will fall right into the Shadow Men's hands if we get caught."

"Then what are we supposed to do? If anyone recognizes us-"

"If they even get close to here, they'll all be in danger-"

"They'll get us all killed!"

It had gone into complete chaos before Jenny shouted. "Shut up!" It was actually surprising but her voice was strict and confident. She got before them all, speaking with orders and no room for discussion. "They won't die-**I** will. _I'm_ the only one they can rightfully take. They can't take you guys if you're away from me-"

"Jenny, don't even go there-"

She stopped Dee with a firm hand before continuing. "Someone has to go home. Tell them we're alive. Make up some story, but don't tell them we're here. Send them on a goose chase until we get this settled out. That way we won't have to worry about so much." Everyone took a minute to process the idea, and once it settled they all took a good look at each other. "And it's going to be Summer."

The blue eyes gleamed up at Jenny. "Me?"

"I already made your parents think you were dead once. I can't do it to them again-"

"Jenny-"

"It has to be Summer. She's the only one…." Jenny stopped herself. She couldn't say it aloud. That she was the only one she couldn't protect. She had failed her last time. She wouldn't get her killed again. "Summer, you're going home."

"But-But I can't lie to the cops. Th-They'd see right through me. How am I supposed to get home?"

Before the chaos could break out again, Zach came to a stand. "I'll take her."

"Oh, Zach-"

"No, I helped drive up here, remember? I know the way back. And I can lie to the cops. Doesn't matter to me."

As he brought Summer to a stand next to him it was actually a very painful sight. Two of the most important people in Jenny's life leaving their side at such a time… But Jenny knew they couldn't get hurt. They were only vulnerable when by her side. If they left, not only would they be safe, but they would be able to calm their parents' fears and settle everything back at home. Maybe even send some food and resources from home.

Yet, as Jenny hugged them goodbye, she was fighting back tears; because she realized this _could_ be it. This could be the last time she ever saw her cousin or her friend that she already had lost once. Then again, if Jenny was going to end this like she had originally planned, then it _was_ the last time.

It didn't take them long to pack. They hadn't brought much clothes or supplies with them in the first place. They were going to take Tom's truck, since it had better mileage, but the second they started it up, the sparkplug was shot. They were left with Audrey's bug, the Spider. They were checking for any other problems when Zach asked it.

"Should we bring one of those things from the basement? You know, just in case?"

Jenny felt very empty when she answered him. "You won't have to worry about it. They can't touch you, remember?"

Silently, Zach nodded, his expression numb. Beside him, Summer shivered. "It's _freezing_."

"Here, take my jacket." Jenny wrapped it around the smaller girl before giving her one more hug and pushing her in the car. "Drive safe, okay? I don't want to hear another missing persons report on the radio-"

"We'll be fine." There was an odd pause as Zach looked over his grandfather's house, then Jenny, and got in the car. "See you when you get home."

A stab of pain struck Jenny so hard it was similar to the first time the Shadow Men attacked her. She watched them drive away from the dirt driveway and disappear off the road. Tom and Michael stayed outside to work on the truck in case they needed to leave at the split second. Jenny was the first to walk back inside. She hadn't noticed she was walking too quickly.

"Jenny? Sunshine, you alright?"

"What? Yeah, I just…have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." She didn't wait for a response. She didn't want the girls to come in with her, for precaution in case she got attacked. But Jenny felt like she wouldn't. As she shut the door on Dee, she had to hold onto the counter to keep herself up. Her knees went weak and the pain only stung deeper. She knew she was crying by the heat in her eyes, but she had to cover her mouth to keep from being heard. She couldn't let them find out. She couldn't let _anyone_ find out….

….

It was silent for a while. The research continued, but everything was numbed in a way. Only slightly, before Michael turned the music back on and everyone seemed to wake up. They were back right where they left off, bringing the similar symbols closer and closer together and sorting them into what was useful and what was useless.

But the crying hadn't helped Jenny's headache. She couldn't focus on anything without the jackhammer going off in her head. God, when was the last time she had a migraine like this? It was making her more and more exhausted by the second, like it was draining her energy…

"Jenny!"

Jenny jumped, her temples stabbing painfully as she lifted her head. Dee was right in front of her. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

She sighed. "No, I'm sorry. This headache is killing me."

"Well, what was that one symbol you were talking about? The one you didn't recognize."

"Um…" Jenny looked around, but now the lights were killing her. "It was on…one of those papers we had. I think…over there."

When Dee walked away her steps were like mini earthquakes. Jenny felt the whole room trembling, or maybe it was just her. The girls weren't phased at all. It was only Jenny that was noticing the shifting in the room, the spinning of the ground. Jenny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fear was starting to get to her. If this was _their_ doing-If they were in her head again-

Desperately Jenny stood up. Maybe she had packed some aspirin on the spur on the moment. She had really doubted it, but it was all she could hope for in the moment. She made it around the coffee table with her eyes half-shut, turned away from the light that seemed to be getting brighter now. But she had lost sight of the side table where her papers were-or her bag-where was her bag-where was the _wall?_

"God, Jen!"

But Jenny was falling before she could hear the shout. She couldn't feel her knees anymore. She was passing out. No, it was different. It was like she was paralyzed, her body gone cold and numb and heavy as it dropped to the ground. She was going to break something by landing so hard, but surprisingly her head landed softly. Her hands were tingling and it was just so bright, she had to close her eyes. Someone was touching her, but she couldn't see who. Instead, she saw something white in the blackness.

Snow. She was seeing snow. Falling down onto a deserted land. No, it was a blizzard, raging through a very dark, very cruel land. She could see a tree, suddenly in sunshine with bright orange leaves. Then in fast forward, they all fell off, the sky darkened and snow fell. The seasons were changing very violently. She felt so hot she was suffocating, then it washed away and she was shivering with Goosebumps. God, even her teeth were chattering.

She was scared. Whatever was happening, whatever she was hearing, seeing, she didn't understand. She knew it was them, but she didn't know what to do about it.

She had always dealt with Julian, not his ancestors. She always had to be saved….except for that time she almost drowned. And in Limbo. Jenny had saved herself that time. She had brought herself back from worse than this.

Desperately Jenny focused on her fingers. She pushed away the images even though she felt like her head was going to explode. She pushed hard into the ground until she felt the pressure in her palms. Her fingers tingled back into feeling, and slowly Jenny felt gravity come back to her. It hurt for a moment, but then she just felt very weak.

She was kneeling on the ground, her head down and teeth gritted so hard her jaw ached. She was afraid to open her eyes, but she did anyway where she saw something white and black before her; shirt, and pants, she realized. White splattered with black, and black splattered with white. The finger on her chin was as cool as marble as it tilted her head up. The shushing was hypnotizing.

Julian's eyes were like crystals, gleaming at her from so close. His entire presence made something in Jenny settle, but her heart wouldn't calm down. She was panting-God, was she sweating, too?

He said something, but Jenny didn't hear him right. She got distracted. He wasn't shushing her; it was the static. The static coming from the radio behind him, sounding even more erratic and violent than before, like the entire system was breaking down.

Somehow, Jenny got it. It was him. It was Julian that was making the static. Maybe not on purpose, just the being that he was had interfered with the radio connection. _That's_ why her grandfather had the radio, to tell when the Shadow Men were close by.

Jenny felt dizzy again, but Julian forced her to meet his eyes again. "What did you see?" he asked very smoothly. She had forgotten how elemental his voice sounded.

"Um-" Jenny cleared her throat from how weak she sounded and tried to think. "Uh, snow, a tree, the leaves falling off. I don't know, the seasons changing…."

She looked at Julian a little helplessly but he only took in her words, then looked away. She had seen that look before. Back when she first saw his ancestors and Julian was processing the most difficult situation before him.

Slowly, Jenny followed his gaze where Dee and Audrey stood close by. Dee was in fighting stance, while Audrey was a little behind her. "What does that mean?" she asked.

Jenny shook her head and felt the world shift under her. "I-I don't…."

She stopped when Julian firmly grabbed her by the biceps. He placed one of her hands on his shoulder, then started to stand. Jenny didn't argue, even though her knees were like jelly still, and did her best to stand up. Somehow, holding onto Julian made her feel like herself again. She was dizzy for just a second after she stood, before she blinked and forced her headache away.

"Was it the Shadow World?" Dee asked.

"No," she said, surprisingly in unison with Julian. He looked at her and said, "They were not threatening you. They aren't even here."

"So…it's a trick?"

"Or a clue."

Jenny looked at him, her eyebrows pinched together in confusion. Julian didn't look amused at all. He looked more upset, or content. Somewhere in between, like he understood what was happening and was waiting for them to catch on.

"A clue? For what?" It was Audrey who asked it, but Julian didn't even look toward her. He stayed staring right at Jenny, making sure she caught on quick enough.

"What's the opposite of winter?"

Winter? Jenny thought hard. So they showed her winter? The opposite of winter…well, it would have to be summer.

Summer. Oh, God, Summer!

Jenny barely gave a gasp before she busted through the front door, leaving the girls and the Shadow man standing there. "Tom! Tom, it's Summer!"

He was at the hood of the truck with Michael, hands buried deep in the metal of the engine, when she came running up. "What?"

"They're after Summer! We have to go get them-We have to go **now**!"

Tom dropped the hood and jumped in the truck almost faster than Jenny did. The tires squealed and dirt flew as they started to speed off. As they turned around, Jenny shouted out the window to the shocked Michael. "Keep everyone inside!"

They went racing down the street faster than Tom could handle and was beginning to swerve.

"Tom, go faster-"

"If I do we'll go straight into a tree. Put your seatbelt on!"

Jenny only clung to the safety handle on the passenger door. "Which way did they go? Did they take the freeway?"

"I don't know."

"Tom-"

"I don't know, Jenny!"

He suddenly hit the brakes and took a sharp turn, remembering the way back. Jenny had to grab the dashboard to keep from going through the windshield.

"We-We took the back roads-if Zach remembered-"

"He has the map," Jenny said a little numbly.

"Then he's gonna take these old roads."

"Oh, God."

Jenny shut her eyes, but opened them again. She couldn't be afraid.

If she feared that they were dead-If she feared just the slightest bit then it would only help the Shadow Men get what they want.

She hung on as Tom took another sharp turn and went racing down the long, isolated road. There were no houses here. No sign of people, no other cars. Just tall towering trees, the long cement road, and dirt sidelines. They didn't have to go far before the small bug came into view.

"There!"

For a second, Jenny was relieved to see the car, but as they drew closer she saw the car had been driven off the side of the road. Smoke was dwelling from the hood and the sight of tire marks on the road made something in Jenny churn. She was opening the door before Tom could come to a complete stop.

"Jenny, wait!"

But she was already hopping out and running with the trucks decreasing speed to get to the bug. What was even more unnerving than the ice completely covering the tires were the black tendrils of snow that seemed to be emerging from the car everywhere.

"No!" Jenny's voice cracked on the shout as she came up to the car. "Summer! Zach! Zach!"

Tom was screaming at her to get back in the car, but Jenny couldn't see inside. Her cousin-Summer-She couldn't see them.

She raced to the front of the car to try and rip open one of the doors, when it was already open-but Jenny still couldn't see inside. She was all of a sudden frozen in place at the sight of the giant mass of blackness covering the door. The sight of it caused fear to ease its way up her throat. She needed to breathe. She needed to calm down otherwise she'd scream and ruin everything. She needed to be absolutely quiet because what was blocking her vision, halfway inside the car, was a large, black wolf.

It wasn't a normal wolf. No, this one was much larger, much uglier with something like matted skin, and black tendrils coming off of it like it was its fur. But it was huge, taller than the car, taller than _Jenny_, and even though its back was to her its presence was far more menacing than if it was facing her.

Jenny knew she wasn't hallucinating this time because Tom had pulled up beside her, still in the truck, and was whispering harshly to her. "Jenny, get back in the car."

But Jenny couldn't move. It was one of those moments in the horror movie where the girls tries to sneak away and breaks a twig and the killer sees her. If she moved, if that thing came at her-

"Jenny. Get. Back. Here."

The creature was snarling, and Jenny could hear its teeth clicking together, as if eating-

In the same moment, right behind the creature, she saw a glimpse of blonde. A curl. Summer.

"Summer!" Jenny called before she knew what she was doing.

The dog flinched and slowly started to back out of the car. Tom immediately hit the horn. "Jenny get in!"

But she still couldn't move. The creature was facing her now, with red beady eyes drilling right into her as it turned away from the car. And its head was _massive_. It's jaws could easily swallow her whole.

Jenny tried to back up from it, but her knees went weak again and she felt dizzy.

Oh God, don't pass out. If you pass out now, it'll be all over.

Yet, behind the dog she could still Summer's hair. The fact that there was no movement or shouts or crying of any kind made something in Jenny drop, then harden.

The creature looked at her.

Jenny looked at Summer.

The wolf seemed to study her, then, probably off of her greatest fear, began to turn back toward the car.

"Hey!" she shouted. When the wolf gave her a warning snarl, Jenny only shouted louder. "That's right. Come get me! I'm the one you want, right?!"

"Jenny!"

The dog seemed to look at her and let out a small growl. Black mist lifted from its jaws.

Jenny started to back peddle now. "Come on," she screamed. "COME ON!"

There was some kind of noise, whether it was a bark or a human shout, Jenny would never know. She dove back in the car and didn't get the chance to close the door. The creature was there, claws easily digging into the metal frame. Jenny screamed and Tom hit the gas, flying forward. The opened jaws were right on Jenny until Tom slammed on the brakes, jerking the car, and the dog's head smashed into the windshield, cracking half of it into a million strands. Jenny scrambled back, but was stuck on something, a bag she hadn't noticed before. Yet, the claws were only coming closer, and they ripped open the seats, stuffing flying everywhere.

Tom quickly pulled out the gun and, aiming over Jenny's shoulder, he fired. He shot the wolf three times, once in the mouth, the side, and finally between the eyes. There was an odd noise, like something breaking the sound barrier but smaller, and the dog's head jerked back. Yet, Jenny didn't see any blood. Only some sort of black mass that grew from the bullet wounds and made the wolf even larger. It's head was now stuck inside the truck.

Jenny couldn't even gasp at it. She stared wide eyed as the wolf crawled closer, completely unaffected by the bullets. She was trying to breathe right when Tom grabbed her. He had his arm hooked completely around her, and she just knew he was going to jump out of the car with her. But if they got out-if the wolf got out-

"No!"

She jumped down and hit the gas with her hand while Tom shouted and threw it in reverse to keep from hitting a tree. The wolf gave a snarl of disapproval when it started to slip, but it didn't fall. The black tendrils grabbed onto the truck and began to wrap itself around even as they went speeding off in reverse. Soon the back window was covered in ice and they were flying backwards completely blind.

Tom was trying to grab Jenny while desperately keeping the car going straight. The dog was snapping its jaws and trying to climb farther into the truck, its claws tearing away the metal sides like they were tissue. Jenny was practically upside-down with her hand on the gas and legs tucked up and into her chest to keep from getting torn to shreds, but Tom yanked her up and kept his foot on the gas. The car swerved, jerking Jenny forward and the dog's claws came in direct contact with her calf. She screamed as the heat raced painfully up her leg, feeling every inch of her skin being pulled apart.

The tendrils were reaching for her now, crawling inside the car, towards her blood. Jenny started to hear whispers just slightly and her headache returned, but somehow she pushed it all away. The part of her that had kept from passing out, the part that had allowed her to beat Julian at all his games, the part of her that had pulled herself out of Limbo; it came boiling up so fast that Jenny was shouting again. Using her injured leg, she braced herself with one hand on the back of the seat, and the other on the dashboard, and kicked the thing as hard as she could. She used her heel like Dee had always taught her, and jammed it right into the dog's nose, making its head jerk back. At the same time, Tom slammed on the brakes. The creature's body dropped off. Metal scraped and chunks of the car fell off. The tires squealed and for a moment there was nothing but the smoke and smell of burning rubber.

But Tom didn't wait. He put the truck back into drive and took off again. Jenny desperately grabbed her leg, trying to ignore the searing pain as she frantically searched around them. Yet, all she saw were trees. And shadows.

"Where is it? Is it gone?"

"I don't know. Did it get you?"

"Where is it?!"

"I don't know! Are you-"

In the next second, the car bounced. The back of the truck hit the ground so hard it sparked. The tires popped and the windows shattered completely, glass flying everywhere. The car swayed as metal scraped and rolled over the useless lumps of rubber. Something hit Jenny amid her scream and she collapsed on the seat while Tom desperately tried to control the car. Behind them, in the bed of the truck was the wolf.

"Jenny? Jenny!"

She heard him, but she couldn't answer. Her head was pounding, and it was hard to breathe. If she was going to pass out, the loud sheering of metal woke her up. The back frame of the truck was being torn open by the creatures claws and its snarls were echoing in Jenny's hollow mind. She couldn't really think. She couldn't really feel anything. Not even fear. She could feel the car jerking around. She could feel Tom's hand on her back. But nothing else. Nothing else but her heart racing in her chest, the blood roaring in her ears, and the strange weight in her hand.

Wait…

Jenny opened her hand and saw the ebony stone with pure confusion. But it was warm and heavy and seemed to give her some strength. Her gaze moved passed it to the object on the seat. That bag had spilled open, the one they had packed for protection and had oddly gone missing. From it sat the small hand trap, the "brass knuckles" as Dee called them. They sat right in front of her face with the Egyptian writing carved on the outside.

Jenny saw it and everything clicked.

She snatched the object quickly and slipped her hand through. Even with Tom tugging her down, Jenny got up, passed her knees and onto her feet. She stood through the sunroof of the truck that had shattered earlier. She had to brace herself with only one hand and she was looking down at the dog that was digging its way into the back window. She shouted so the wolf would notice her and the red eyes burned into her like hot coals. As soon as it lifted its head, after gnawing its way to the seat of the truck, Jenny gripped the metal knuckles as hard as she could.

"Come on!" she screamed.

The car was jerking her around. The creature's claws were only inches away. And the black tendrils were crawling up the roof coming right for her. Any wrong move. Any wrong turn….

But Jenny wasn't even shaken.

She wasn't going to be afraid. She wasn't going to let them win. She thought of the Shadow Men chasing her. She thought about what they did to her grandfather. She thought about her friends and her family, what they were going through, what kind of danger they were in. Jenny wasn't afraid.

Instead, she was furious.

The dog leaped for her and Jenny didn't hesitate. She cocked her arm back and fired it like a gun, nailing the dog right between the eyes. There was a yelp of pain and the tendrils immediately released the car.

Something throbbed in the air as the body of the wolf rolled off the side of the truck and utterly disappeared. The weight loss caused the car to jerk and it came to a shredding stop with the metal rims scraping away on the cement. When it stopped, Jenny dropped back down uneasily. She didn't feel so strong anymore. She felt entirely weak and exhausted. But somehow she just knew the wolf was gone.

At least for now.

However, Jenny didn't wait. Tom didn't stop either. Together they ran to the crashed up bug ahead even though Jenny was limping most of the way. Tom went to the driver's seat and Jenny went to the passenger, frantically tearing open the scratched up door. It was stuck, but Jenny gave it a good hard tug and the door ripped open.

Inside, was Summer.

"Oh my God, Summer! Summer, answer me."

The blonde doll had a cut on her cheek, but other than that and her messy hair she seemed fine. She woke up like a sleeping child before the fear of realizing what happened settled in and she immediately began to cry. "Oh, Jenny!"

Jenny embraced her, half leaning on the broken door frame to ease the weight on her throbbing leg. She was hugging her so hard that the denim of Summer's jacket was hurting her arm-no, it was Jenny's jacket. The one she had given to her-

Instantly, Jenny began to cry. It was her fault. It was because she gave her the jacket that they had to right-had the chance to-

She looked over and Tom had Zach safely in the driver's seat. But Zach wouldn't look at Tom. He wasn't physically injured at all, but Jenny could literally see the damage the Shadow Men had done to him. His skin was a pale white and his breathing was very shallow. And his eyes….

They were gone. They weren't looking at the steering wheel, but somewhere very far away. Somewhere dark and cold that his mind had been before back when he feared himself. Zach was on the verge of insanity just from the look in his eyes.

_We'll get in your head and make you hallucinate,_ Julian's voice echoed in Jenny's head. _We'll show you anything to make you scared._

Jenny forced herself inside the car, reached over and gripped her cousin's hand. He finally looked away, at his hand, then at her, and his pupils were small, searching desperately. Jenny didn't know what to say to him. No matter what she said, she couldn't undo whatever they had shown him. She could only hold Summer in one arm and hold Zach with the other, praying that they would never be ripped away from her….

**Wow that is freaking long. 25 pages! I hope you guys are happy! Seriously, I hope its good. I think it went a little long with the researching part but I needed the time in-between things. And the reviews are what keep me going so please comment! I'll update faster I swear! As long as they're nice ****J**** Thanks guys. And PS all the Egyptian facts I took from the internet and half meddled with so you can decide if they're true or not, I'm not claiming anything about it.**

**Till my next update.**


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